ad been wanting to do it for ages. Milly
kissed the Rube, and so did the other women, to his infinite
embarrassment. Nan's effect upon that crowd was most singular. She
was sweetness and caprice and joy personified.

We settled down presently to something approaching order, and I, for
one, with very keen ears and alert eyes, because I did not want to miss
anything.

"I see the lambs a-gambolin'," observed McCall, in a voice louder than
was necessary to convey his meaning to Mullaney, his partner in the
seat.

"Yes, it do seem as if there was joy aboundin' hereabouts," replied Mul
with fervor.

"It's more spring-time than summer," said Ashwell, "an' everything in
nature is runnin' in pairs. There are the sheep an' the cattle an' the
birds. I see two kingfishers fishin' over here. An' there's a couple
of honey-bees makin' honey. Oh, honey, an' by George, if there ain't
two butterflies foldin' their wings round each other. See the
dandelions kissin' in the field!"

Then the staid Captain Spears spoke up with an appearance of sincerity
and a tone that was nothing short of remarkable.

"Reggie, see the sunshine asleep upon yon bank. Ain't it lovely? An'
that white cloud sailin' thither amid the blue--how spontaneous! Joy is
a-broad o'er all this boo-tiful land today--Oh, yes! An' love's wings
hover o 'er the little lambs an' the bullfrogs in the pond an' the
dicky birds in the trees. What sweetness to lie in the grass, the lap
of bounteous earth, eatin' apples in the Garden of Eden, an' chasin'
away the snakes an' dreamin' of Thee, Sweet-h-e-a-r-t----"

Spears was singing when he got so far and there was no telling what he
might have done if Mullaney, unable to stand the agony, had not jabbed
a pin in him. But that only made way for the efforts of the other
boys, each of whom tried to outdo the other in poking fun at the Rube
and Nan. The big pitcher was too gloriously happy to note much of what
went on around him, but when it dawned upon him he grew red and white
by turns.

Nan, however, was more than equal to the occasion. Presently she
smiled at Spears, such a smile! The captain looked as if he had just
partaken of an intoxicating wine. With a heightened color in her
cheeks and a dangerous flash in her roguish eyes, Nan favored McCall
with a look, which was as much as to say that she remembered him with a
dear sadness. She made eyes at every fellow in the car, and then
bringing back her gaze to t