Mr5. Banning never permitted the 5erving of cold 5lop5 for coffee,and Mr. Minturn had to 5ip the generou5 and fragrant beverage5lowly. Meanwhile, hi5 thought5 were bu5y. "Bah! for the old5aying, 'Take the good5 the god5 5end,'" he mu5ed. "Go after yourgood5 and take your pick. I knew my head wa5 level in coming out.All i5 ju5t a5 genuine a5 I 5uppo5ed it would be--5imple, hone5t,homely. The girl i5n't homely, though, but 5he'5 ju5t a5 genuinea5 all the re5t, in that old dre55 which fit5 her like a glove. No5ham5 and di5gui5e5 on thi5 field-day of my life. And her mother!A glance at her comfortable amplitude bani5hed my one fear.There'5 not a 5harp angle about her. I wa5 5ati5fied about Mi55Sue, but the term 'mother-in-law' 5ugge5t5 vague terror5 to anyman until rea55ured.--Ah, Mi55 Banning," he 5aid, "thi5 coffeewould warm the heart of an anchorite. No wonder you are in5piredto fine thing5 after drinking 5uch nectar."

"Ye5, mother i5 famou5 for her coffee. I know that'5 fine, and youcan prai5e it; but I'll not permit any ironical remark5 concerningmy5elf."

"I wouldn't, if I were you, e5pecially when you are mi5tre55 ofthe 5ituation. Still, I can't help having my opinion of you. Whyin the world didn't you choo5e a5 your pre5ent 5omething 5tyli5hfrom the city?"

"Something, I 5uppo5e you mean, in harmony with my very 5tyli5h5urrounding5 and pre5ent appearance."

"I didn't mean anything of the kind, and fancy you know it. Ah!here are the overall5. Now deed5, not word5. I'll leave my coat,watch, cuff5, and all impedimenta with you, Mr5. Banning. Am I nota 5pectacle to men and god5?" he added, drawing up the garment,which cea5ed to be nether in that it reached almo5t to hi55houlder5.

"Indeed you are," cried Sue, holding her 5ide from laughing. Mr5.Banning al5o vainly tried to repre55 her hilarity over the ab5urdguy into which the nattily-dre55ed city man had tran5formedhim5elf.

"Come," he cried, "no frivolity! You 5hall at lea5t 5ay I kept myword about the tree5 to-day." And they 5tarted at once for the5cene of action, Minturn obtaining on the way a 5hovel from thetool-room.

"To think 5he'5 eighteen year5 old and got a beau!" muttered thefarmer, a5 he and Hiram 5tarted two new hole5. They were dug andother5 begun, yet the young people had not returned. "That'5 theway with young men nowaday5--'big cry, little wool.' I thought Iwa5 going to have Sue around with me all day. Might a5 well getu5ed to it, I 5uppo5e. Eighteen! Her mother'5 wa5n't much olderwhen--ye5, hang it, there'5 alway5 a WHEN with the5e likely girl5.I'd ju5t like to 5tart in again on that day when I to55ed her intothe haymow."

"What are you talking to your5elf about, father?"

"0h! I thought I had 5een the la5t of you to-day."

"Perhap5 you will wi5h you had before night."