Country Luck

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kfast-table, the morning after the reception, as the clock struck eight. Her father, dressed for business,

ul common,” protested Mrs. Tramla

out his face and manners. There hasn’t been so bright-eyed, manly-loo

was real fine-looking

if she’s a day,” said Mrs.

young men,” said Tramlay. “Shows more sense in

id Lucia. “You may

rt, I’d give my head if you could see as clea

ss Agnes will never invite him to her

y night, and I do believe she devised the reception ju

rength, stimulated it with an en

to, if a common farmer’s boy, of no family, can st

g to its senses. I’m glad, in this particu

ed so much about him,” said Mrs. Tramlay. “One would have though

one of the finest young men I had ever known,—that he wa

a man fit for society,” s

did we’d see more of them at

ar!”

s wife, and preparing to hurry to his office, “it isn’t y

n had been despatched to school, “I hope your

mpression. A lot of the girls admired him ever so much. I began to apologize and e

ng that’s new,—anything,

am

d be able to see that. How can they buy houses for their wives, and furn

young men aren’t rich enough to marry; can’t girls like the

abruptly leaving the room, “that yo

nd brilliant girls at Haynton as some he had met that night. He could not explain to himself the difference, except that, compared with Lucia’s friends, his old acquaintances appeared—well, rather unfinished and ignorant. And as far as these new acquaintances appeared above his older ones, so far did Lucia appear above her friends. He had studied her face scores of times before, and told himself where it was faulty; now he mentally withdrew every criticism he had ever made, and declared her perfection itself. Would he ever forget how she looked as she offered

f to dress in like fashion if he went to Miss Dinon’s party. And, by the way, what a queenly woman that Miss Dinon was! He would like to meet her again: he certainly must attend that party. But if he bought evening dress, what should he do with it when he left the city? No young man felt more freedom than he to do as he liked in Haynton, but to appear in a “swallow-tail” at church or anywhere else in the village

d never feared comparison, in church, of his appearance with that of any summer{49} boarder from the city; for, as his mother has already intimated in these pages, his Sunday coat had been cut from the same piece of cloth as the minister’s. But now he felt ill at ease while being eyed, not at all impertinently, by the young people who sat facing him. First he thought the mildly critical glances were directed t

reading the advertising signs above the windows of the car was a dismal failure, for he somehow felt that several pairs of eyes were upon him, and this was rather more annoying than seeing them. The strain bec

unt

young woman so

e-

isapprovingly at Haynton fashions, or as if his own blood were hot enough to warm the entire atmosphere of New York. He knew what he would do: when he reached Sol Mantring’s sloop he would remain aboard until she sailed; then he

eemed inclined to doze, and directly opposite the newest passenger sat a plain, modest-looking person, whom a New Yorker would have rightly identified as a waiter at a restaurant or café. Apparently three persons less qualified or inclined to criticise personal appearance could not have been found by careful search; yet within five minutes Phil was sure that all of them h

he rural distr

at?” asked Phil, indic

or. “I only kinder thought I was sure—why, I come from the c

relief when he reached Sol Mantring’s sloop and made his way into the little cabin, where, of the three men lyi