Country Luck

STRUC

some large mirrors which he accidentally encountered, he soon learned why his attire had attracted attention. Then he compared clothing-stores fo

eady-made stock. Never any t

and yet, perhaps, a good figure was a country product. He would think about this, as soon as business was off his mi

think, though, to set it off to the best advantage you need to{53} change your black tie for a scarf with a touch of red or yellow in it: if you don’t happen to have one, you’ll find a fine assortment in our gents’ furnishing department. Needs a

Under the guidance of the salesman he had hi

nd there are two or three good dealers on the other side of the street, a little farther down. Keep this suit on, I suppose? All right, sir: I’ll do up the others. H’m!”—here the old man

it couldn’t be made o

f, you see; too short; sleeves not full enough; button-holes in wrong places; lapels too narrow. Besides, velvet collars have gone out. Any time you n

ow by thanking him for his attention and promising to send him a barrel of selected Newtown pippins. Then he placed himself in the

mself in that suit and practise before a mirror until fully satisfied that he did not look unlike other men. The

in fall overco

, there hasn’t been a bit of frost up our way.” Ph

ress-suit without an overcoat, you know, unless you’re merely steppin

udge Di

can do it; nothing wrong about it, of course,—only a matter of taste;

which he knew his mother craved. Fortunately, he had brought some savings of his own; and, as he informed himself, hair-cutting was not an expensive operation, and the clothing-salesman had told him that new hats did not cost much. He had nothing else

to a barber’s chair, but was startled out of it by finding a l

ed my h

be done too we like to have that out of the way first.

erward he emerged from that shop with the not entirely satisfactory assurance that his oldest friend would not know him at sight: and when he had bought a new hat and surveyed himself in a{56} long mirror he was not certain that he would know himse

ld say if they saw him in his new suit. The countryman has some grand qualities that denizens of cities would do well to imitate, but not all his moral courage can keep him from feeling uncomfortable

to show that he could, with proper facilities, look unlike a countryman. Besides, he wanted to know a

d him his business; he replied that he had merely dropped in to see Mr. Tramlay. The head of the establishment looked at Phil without recognit

us have young eyes, you know. Come in; sit down; make yourself at home. I’m glad

h office-stool at a desk by the window, and all the

s while I straighten out a muddle in a

looked around him for indications of the business; but the only bit of iron in sight was a paper-weight on the desk before him. Closer scrutiny was rewarded by the discovery of a bit of ang

n search of pea

ice for that,” said Phil, who had found the cou

; “although I don’t know, after{58} careful thought, of any no

host attentive, yet occasionally absent-minded. He might have spared himself the trouble of making a mental memorandum to study out the why and wherefore of this apparently incongruous pair of qualities had he known that Tramlay was cudgelling his brain to know how to disp

l afterward wondered that his host coul

Hayn. Don’t let me interrupt conversation. I merely meant to say I’ve nothing to do

r the truth is, I was wondering how I could fin

,” said Marge, as lifele

this evening,” suggested Tramlay

ed,” said Marge, in

o make a patriotic tour of the tombs of distinguished men of the Revolutionary period. Marge offered to introduce Phil to Russell Sage, but was amazed to learn that the young man had never heard of that distinguished individual. When, however, General Hancock, passing by, was casually pointed out by Marge, Phil stopped short and stared respectfully. Marge showed the Field Building, but through the trees in front Phil correctly surmised he saw Castle Garden, and desired at once to go there and be made acquainted with the method of receiving and distributing immigrants. On the Produce Exchange they fairly agreed, Marge admitting that in importance it ranked next to the{60} Stock Exchange, while Phil was able to regard it as

s, and Marge’s horse was a good one, and Phil admired him and knew of a good horse that would match him nicely, and Marge saw a prospect of making a team that he could sell at a large profit,{61} and Phil promised to arrange that Marge should come out and see the horse. But even this conversation was broken when Marge pointed out the late residence of A. T. Stewart, for Phil insisted upon moralizing on riches. In the Park he asked questions about statues, and about trees and shrubs that were new to him and equally unknown to Marge, as well as utterly uninteresting; Phil also wanted a number of facts and fi

want of that fello