ll Strong--the key to about everything he thought and
did--he was mentally submitting this editorial, as he had submitted
every other he had written, to the test of the probable opinion of
a young woman he had not seen nor heard from for two years, but
who nevertheless constituted to his mind the chief motive for
existence--if not the chief and sufficient explanation of the human
race's having been created at all. You must realize, before trying to
understand his story, that Will Strong was really a very romantic
young man indeed, though he pretended to Green's Ferry that he was
not.

Outside the screen, the strips of sun through the western window and
open door lengthened across the meagre collection of dusty fonts of
type, the small press, the piles of papers. The black-fingered,
red-haired boy setting type among them reflected that it must be
nearly dinner-time, and turned to see how far in the hot strips had
crept--turned, and stood staring; for he met squarely the inquiring
look of a pair of clear eyes, and became aware of a lady in the
door-way.

It is probable that Jim had never dreamed in his life of any other
social distinction than that between rich and poor, notorious and
obscure, nor was he a lad of perceptions; yet he knew at once that
this was a very unusual sort of lady for Green's Ferry. If he had been
a man of the social world he would have known that she was a
gentlewoman of notably high-bred appearance. She glanced, not without
dismay, about the shabby work-room, as if she felt herself where she
had no business to be. Nevertheless, she came forward frankly, and
asked in the friendly way of one whose station needs no asserting:

"Mr. Strong?--one of the school-board?--Is he here?"

"Yes'm." The boy made no motion, but stood blankly staring.

"May I see him, please?"

"Lady to see you, Mr. Strong," shouted Jim, standing still.

In the few seconds before Strong emerged, the lady stood her ground in
the middle of the floor, with some appearance of anxiety. She was
certainly a very noticeable person, and came nearer to warranting that
strong word "beautiful" than falls often to the lot of woman. It was a
matter of outline more than color, however, for she had not much of
that about her--brown hair, blue-gray eyes, skin of a warm paleness.
All this low coloring, however, was so perfect of its sort, that it
gave something the effect of a fine etching--a rich distinctness
attained by shades, not colo