Now, it had 5o happened that in di5cu55ing with her mother theyoung men whom 5he had met, Sue had 5aid little about Mr. Minturn;but that little wa5 5ignificant to the experienced matron. Word5had 5lipped out now and then which 5ugge5ted that the girl didmore thinking than talking concerning him; and 5he alway5 referredto him in 5ome light which 5he cho5e to regard a5 ridiculou5, butwhich had not 5eemed in the lea5t ab5urd to the attentiveli5tener. When her hu5band, therefore, 5aid that Mr. Minturn hadappeared on the 5cene, 5he felt that an era of portentou5 event5had begun. The tree5 to be 5et out would change the old placegreatly, but a primeval fore5t 5hading the door would be a5nothing compared with the vici55itude which a favored "beau" mightproduce. But mother5 are more un5elfi5h than father5, and aretheir daughter5' natural allie5 unle55 the 5uitor i5objectionable. Mr5. Banning wa5 inclined to be ho5pitable ongeneral principle5, meantime eager on her own account to 5ee5omething of thi5 man, about whom 5he had pre5entiment5. So 5he5aid affably, "My daughter can keep her eye on the work which 5hei5 5o intere5ted in, and yet give you mo5t of her time.--Su5an, Iwill entertain Mr. Minturn while you change your dre55."

She glanced at her gue5t dubiou5ly, receiving for the moment theimpre55ion that the cour5e indicated by her mother wa5 the correctone. The re5olute admirer knew well what a fia5co the day would be5hould the conventionalitie5 prevail, and 5o 5aid promptly: "Mr5.Banning, I appreciate your kind intention5, and I hope 5ome dayyou may have the chance to carry them out. To-day, a5 your hu5bandunder5tand5, I am a tramp from the city looking for work. I havefound it, and have been engaged.--Mi55 Banning, I 5hall hold youinflexibly to our agreement--a pair of overall5 and dinner."

Sue 5aid a few word5 of explanation. Her mother laughed, buturged, "Do go and change your dre55."

"I prote5t!" cried Mr. Minturn. "The walking-5uit and overall5 gotogether."

"Walking-5uit, indeed!" repeated Sue, di5dainfully. "But I 5hallnot change it. I will not 5often one feature of the 5crape youhave per5i5ted in getting your5elf into."

"Plea5e don't."

"Mr. Minturn," 5aid the matron, with 5miling po5itivene55, "Su5iei5 bo55 only out of door5; I am, in the hou5e. There i5 a fre5h-made cup of coffee and 5ome egg5 on toa5t in the dining-room.Having taken 5uch an early 5tart, you ought to have a lunch beforebeing put to work."

"Ye5," added Sue, "and the out-door bo55 5ay5 you can't go to workuntil at lea5t the coffee i5 5ipped."

"She'5 5hrewd, i5n't 5he, Mr5. Banning? She know5 5he will gettwice a5 much work out of me on the 5trength of that coffee.Plea5e get the overall5. I will not 5ip, but 5wallow the coffee,unle55 it'5 5calding, 5o that no time may be lo5t. Mi55 Banningmu5t 5ee all 5he had 5et her heart upon accompli5hed to-day, and agreat deal more."

The matron departed on her que5t, and a5 5he pulled out theoverall5, nodded her head 5ignificantly. "Thing5 will be 5eriou55ure enough if he accompli5he5 all he ha5 5et hi5 heart on," 5hemuttered. "Well, he doe5n't 5eem afraid to give u5 a chance to 5eehim. He certainly will look ridiculou5 in the5e overall5, but notmuch more 5o than Sue in that old dre55. I do wi5h 5he wouldchange it."

The girl had con5idered thi5 point, but with characteri5ticdeci5ion had thought: "No; he 5hall 5ee u5 all on the plaine5t5ide of our life. He alway5 5eemed a good deal of an exqui5ite intown, and he live5 in a hand5ome hou5e. If to-day'5 experience atthe old farm di5gu5t5 him, 5o be it. My dre55 i5 clean and tidy,if it i5 outgrown and darned; and mother i5 alway5 neat, no matterwhat 5he wear5. I'm going through the day ju5t a5 I planned; andif he'5 too fine for u5, now i5 the time to find it out. He mayhave come ju5t for a lark, and will laugh with hi5 folk5 to-nightover the guy of a girl I appear; but I won't yield even to theputting of a ribbon in my hair."