To picture Whiskers-on-the-moon as the hero of an elopement is beyond my power . But such was the case and Mrs. Pryor at least lived to repent it . She had a hard life of it with Mr. Pryor , and she thought it was a punishment on her for running away . So she made Miranda promise she would never , for any reason whatever , do it . `` Of course , you can not urge a girl to break a promise made to a dying mother , so I did not see what Miranda could do unless she got Joe to come to the house when her father was away and marry her there . But Miranda said that could n't be managed . Her father seemed to suspect she might be up to something of the sort and he never went away for long at a time , and , of course , Joe could n't get leave of absence at an hour 's notice . '' ` No , I shall just have to let Joe go , and he will be killed -- I know he will be killed -- and my heart will break , ' said Miranda , her tears running down and copiously bedewing the vermin shirts ! `` I am not writing like this for lack of any real sympathy with poor Miranda . I 've just got into the habit of giving things a comical twist if I can , when I 'm writing to Jem and Walter and Ken , to make them laugh . I really felt sorry for Miranda who is as much in love with Joe as a china-blue girl can be with anyone and who is dreadfully ashamed of her father 's pro-German sentiments . I think she understood that I did , for she said she had wanted to tell me all about her worries because I had grown so sympathetic this past year . I wonder if I have . I know I used to be a selfish , thoughtless creature -- how selfish and thoughtless I am ashamed to remember now , so I ca n't be quite so bad as I was . `` I wish I could help Miranda . It would be very romantic to contrive a war-wedding and I should dearly love to get the better of Whiskers-on-the-moon . But at present the oracle has not spoken . '' CHAPTER XVIII A WAR-WEDDING `` I can tell you this Dr. dear , '' said Susan , pale with wrath , `` that Germany is getting to be perfectly ridiculous . '' They were all in the big Ingleside kitchen . Susan was mixing biscuits for supper .
Mrs. Blythe was making shortbread for Jem , and Rilla was compounding candy for Ken and Walter -- it had once been `` Walter and XXXXX '' in her thoughts but somehow , quite unconsciously , this had changed until Ken 's name came naturally first .
Germany Jem Ken Miranda Pryor Susan WAR-WEDDING Walter Whiskers-on-the-moon vermin