years, "it does a body good to see you though your visits are as few and
far between as angels' visits. I'm right glad to see you! Sit down." But
David was too eager about his business.

"I haven't any time to sit down to-night, Miss Susan," he said eagerly,
"I've come to buy a bonnet. Have you got one? I hope it isn't too late
because I want it very early in the morning."

"A bonnet! Bless me! For yourself?" said Miss Mitchell from mere force of
commercial habit. But neither of them saw the joke, so intent upon
business were they. "For my wife, Miss Mitchell. You see she is going with
me over to Albany to-morrow morning and we start quite early. We are going
to see the new railroad train start, you know, and she seems to think she
hasn't a bonnet that's suitable."

"Going to see a steam engine start, are you! Well, take care, David, you
don't get too near. They do say they're terrible dangerous things, and fer
my part I can't see what good they'll be, fer nobody'll ever be willin' to
ride behind 'em, but I'd like to see it start well enough. And that sweet
little wife of yours thinks she ain't got a good enough bonnet. Land
sakes! What is the matter with her Dunstable straw, and what's become of
that one trimmed with blue lutestrings, and where's the shirred silk one
she wore last Sunday? They're every one fine bonnets and ought to last her
a good many years yet if she cares fer 'em. The mice haven't got into the
house and et them, hev they?"

"No, Miss Susan, those bonnets are all whole yet I believe, but they don't
seem to be just the suitable thing. In fact, I don't think they're
over-becoming to her, do you? You see they're mostly blue----"

"That's so!" said Miss Mitchell. "I think myself she'd look better in
pink. How'd you like white? I've got a pretty thing that I made fer Hannah
Heath an' when it was done Hannah thought it was too plain and wouldn't
have it. I sent for the flowers to New York and they cost a high price.
Wait! I will show it to you."

She took a candle and he followed her to the dark front room ghostly with
bonnets in various stages of perfection.

It was a pretty thing. Its foundation was of fine Milan braid, creamy
white and smooth and even. He knew at a glance it belonged to the higher
order of things, and was superior to most of the bonnets produced in the
village.

It was trimmed with plain white taffeta ribbon, soft and silky. That was
all on the outside. Around the face was a s