situation. The man
scowled at Mehitable's umbrella planted victoriously beside its owner
and his thin lips expressed his impatience most unbecomingly. Then he
caught sight of the vacant table and started for that with the haste
which, like many predecessors, he was to find unnecessary.

"I'm sorry to disturb you," said Miss Upton, still excited from her
Marathon, "but you'd have had him if you hadn't had me."

The girl was a sore-hearted maiden, and the geniality and good-humor in
the jolly face opposite had the effect of a cheery fire in a gloomy and
desolate room.

"I would much rather have you," she replied. "I couldn't have sat
opposite that Adam's apple."

Miss Mehitable laughed. "He wasn't pretty, was he?" she replied; "and
wasn't he mad, though?"

Then she became aware that if the disappointed man had not been
prepossessing, her present companion was so. A quantity of golden hair,
a fine pink-and-white skin, with dark eyebrows, eyes, and lashes, were
generous gifts of Nature; and the curves of the grave little mouth were
very charming. The girl's plain dark suit and simple hat, and above all
her shrinking, cast-down demeanor made her appear careless, even unaware
of these advantages, and Miss Mehitable noticed this at once.

"Hasn't the child got a looking-glass?" she thought; and even as she
thought it and took the menu she observed a tear gather on the dark
lashes opposite.

As the girl wiped it away quickly, she glanced up and saw the look of
kindly concern in her neighbor's face.

"I'd rather you would be the one to see me cry, too," she said. "I can't
help it," she added desperately. "They just keep coming and coming no
matter what I do, and I must eat."

"Well, now, I'm real sorry." Miss Upton's hearty sincerity was a sort of
consolation. After she had given her luncheon order she spoke again to
her vis-a-vis who was valiantly swallowing.

"Do your folks live here in town?" she asked in the tone one uses toward
a grieving child.

"Oh, if I had folks!" returned the other. "Do people who have folks ever
cry?"

"Why, you poor child," said Miss Mehitable. For the girl caught her
lower lip under her teeth and for a minute it seemed that she was not
going to be able to weather the crisis of her emotion: but her
self-control was equal to the emergency and she bit down the battling
sob. Miss Mehitable saw the struggle and refrained from speaking for a
few minutes. Her luncheon arrived and she broke