"I forget nothing. You say you are studying to be a lawyer, yet here you are writing letters unauthorized by myself to be sent in the first place, to a railroad company, overreacting because your sister happened to hold a young man's hand. A young man who was doing nothing but trying to comfort a stranger. Think about where they were, boy. They were in full view. Do you think your sister would have allowed him up her blasted skirts in public, in broad daylight? There is being protective, and then there is being ridiculous. Did he kiss your sister? Did he molest her? She says not and I tend to believe her, because other than a boy or two, she is usually honest with me." He scoffed, "And what made you think you had the right to go as far as writing a letter that caused this young man to be fired from his job over something I am sure you do plenty of? I see no problem with his lack of wealth, I ate from refuse bins as a boy!"

Then he turned to Pearl and Joe, "Pearl, leave us please." Pearl nodded, then, as she was leaving, gave that Mona Lisa Smile and mentally flipping her brother off at the same time. That smirk of victory that said she was just as cunning as the rest of the brood when she wanted to be. Could she be blamed for that? She did, after all, have to defend herself against a bunch of bratty ingrates.

"Now then," he said and looked to Joe, "Tell me what you think I should do as a fitting punishment to my son, hmm?"