wont
to appear in a brown cotton shirt, the appearance of which suggested
the hostler rather than the physician.

That Fairchilds should "eat in his coat" placed him, in the eyes of the
Wackernagels, on the high social plane of the drummers from the city,
many of whom yearly visited the town with their wares.

"And Teacher he didn't press 'em none, up at Jonas Hershey's, to take
him in, neither, he says," Mrs. Wackernagel pursued.

"He says?" repeated Mr. Wackernagel, inquiringly. "Well, that's like
what I was, too, when I was a young man," he boasted. "If I thought I
ain't wanted when I went to see a young lady--if she passed any
insinyations--she never wasn't worried with ME ag'in!"

"I guess Lizzie's spited that Teacher's stoppin' at our place," giggled
Rebecca, her pretty face rosy with pleasurable excitement in the turn
affairs had taken. She sat directly opposite Mr. Fairchilds, while
Amanda had the chair at his side.

Tillie could see that the young man's eyes rested occasionally upon the
handsome, womanly form of her very good-looking cousin Amanda. Men
always looked at Amanda a great deal, Tillie had often observed. The
fact had never before had any special significance for her.

"Are you from Lancaster, or wherever?" the doctor inquired of Mr.
Fairchilds.

"From Connecticut," he replied in a tone that indefinably, but
unmistakably checked further questioning.

"Now think! So fur off as that!"

"Yes, ain't!" exclaimed Mrs. Wackernagel. "It's a wonder a body'd ever
be contented to live that fur off."

"We're had strangers here in this HOtel," Mr. Wackernagel began to
brag, while he industriously ate of his fried sausage and fried
potatoes, "from as fur away as Illinois yet! And from as fur south as
down in Maine! Yes, indeed! Ain't, mom?" he demanded of his wife.

"Och, yes, many's the strange meals I cooked a'ready in this house. One
week I cooked forty strange meals; say not, Abe?" she returned.

"Yes, I mind of that week. It was Mrs. Johnson and her daughter we had
from Illinois and Mrs. Snyder from Maine," Abe explained to Mr.
Fairchilds. "And them Johnsons stayed the whole week."

"They stopped here while Mr. Johnson went over the county sellin'
milk-separators," added Mrs. Wackernagel. "And Abe he was in Lancaster
that week, and the Doc he was over to East Donegal, and there was no
man here except only us ladies! Do you mind, Rebecca?"

Eebecca nodded, her mouth too full for utterance.