Country Luck

MLAY RE

ce in which despondency and indignation were striving for mastery. Tramlay knew his daught

n’t come!—if h

uzzled; then his expression cha

to come to my hou

at once strode to the hall-way, looking like an avenging angel; but when he reached the door and took

in town on our reception evening! Come with me;

and laid upon his a

er time. I didn’t know you

ong; “ ‘twill give you a chance to meet some of

h Phil, whose eyes were still cast down, saw the skirts

ber our old friend

not be ignored after his hand had closed upon hers. Even when upon her feet, however, the lady of the house seemed unable to frame a greeting; had Phil been a city acquaintance, no matter how uninterestin

d a little and nodded his head impatiently; this pantomime finally sti

elightful

g Phil away. “Don’t{38} feel uncomfortable; I’ll explain that you just dropp

vening dress” meant. He soon saw that all the gentlemen wore black clothes and white ties, and that the skirts of the coats retired rapidly. He had seen such a coat before,—seen it often at Haynton, on Ex-Judge Dickman, who had served two ter

suddenly, “I don’t believe you’ve m

s looking intently, probably as an excuse for not looking at the unwelcome visitor. Her father’s voice, however, she had always ins

y girls: you know them better than I. Phil, you can explain to them how you struck a full-dress reception just after landing from a cruise; ’twill amuse them more, I’ll warrant

act that so quickly improved the young man’s opinion of himself that he instantly felt at ease and got command of such natural graces as he

whom I could afterward explain,—friends who are too good-hearted to make spiteful remarks afterward.

talk courteous nothings to new acquaintances, she suddenly found herself face

ur friend is being so heartily praised by you

th interest the face before him, for he had often heard Mr. Marge mentioned when the Tramlay family were at Haynton. His look was returned by one that might have been a stare had it possessed a single indication of interest

said Mr. Marge to Lucia. “I would be glad

ed the youth to several gentlemen as an old friend of the family. Soon, however, Marge led Phil into a tiny room at the rear of the hall,—a room nominally the library, the books consisting of a dictionary and a Bible, the greater part of the shelf-space being occupied b

. As for me,”—here Mr. Marge struck a match,—“I’ve (puff) been acquainted

and finally to the digestion,” said Phil. “Have you seen

, exhaling smoke in such a way that it hid his face for an instant. “I

physique——”

uite obliging when it kno

ted obstacle: meanwhile, Marge breathed lazily thr

ay is a cha

Phil replied. “If

isn’t good form to criticise divinity. Miss Tramlay is remar

re Marge had ceased speakin

t on the wall had not been offered for sale by the store-keeper at Haynton; then he resolved he would buy and take home to his mother a chair just like that in which he was sitting, for it was so com

haven’t seen you at all, and half a dozen others want to see more of you. Father has bee

s face as he had sometimes known it of old,—entirely alert and merry. At the same time a load fell from his mind, a load which he had been vaguely trying to attribute to the lateness of the hour, the strangeness of his surroun

is eyes; then, when{43} alone, he frowned slightly, bit his lip, dropped the end of

Phi

, and veiled his face in smoke fo