g the guests down, would have been
out of the question, and so the majority, with Dabney in his new
clothes to keep them countenance, stood or sat in the cool shade of
the grand old trees during the ceremony, which was performed near the
open door, and were afterward served with the wedding refreshments, in
a style that spoke volumes for Mrs. Kinzer's good management, as well
as for her hospitality.

The only drawback to Dab's happiness that day was that his
acquaintances hardly seemed to know him. He had had almost the same
trouble with himself when he looked in the glass that morning.

Ordinarily, his wrists were several inches through his coat sleeves,
and his ankles made a perpetual show of his stockings. His neck, too,
seemed usually to be holding his head as far as possible from his coat
collar, and his buttons had no favor to ask of his button-holes.

Now, even as the tailor had promised, he had received his "first
fit." He seemed to himself, to tell the truth, to be covered up in a
prodigal waste of nice cloth. Would he ever, ever grow too big for
such a suit of clothes as that? It was a very painful thought, and he
did his best to put it away from him.

Still, it was a little hard to have a young lady, whom he had known
before she began to walk, remark to him: "Excuse me, sir, but can you
tell me if Mr. Dabney Kinzer is here?"

"No, Jenny Walters," sharply responded Dab, "he isn't here."

"Why, Dabney!" exclaimed the pretty Jenny, "is that you? I declare,
you've scared me out of a year's growth."

"I wish you'd scare me, then," said Dab. "Then my clothes would stay
fitted."

Everything had been so well arranged beforehand, thanks to Mrs.
Kinzer, that the wedding had no chance at all except to go off well.
Ham Morris was rejoiced to find how entirely he was relieved of every
responsibility.

"Don't worry about your house, Hamilton," the widow said to him the
night before. "We'll go over there as soon as you and Miranda get
away, and it'll be all ready for you by the time you get back."

"All right," said Ham. "I'll be glad to have you take the old place in
hand. I've only tried to live in a corner of it. You don't know how
much room there is. I don't, I must say."

Dabney had longed to ask her if she meant to have it moved over to the
Kinzer side of the north fence, but he had doubts as to the propriety
of it, and just then the boy came in from the tailor's with his bundle
of new clothes.