ith a great ivory smile, sweeping back with the
door, and bowing low. "Walk in, Misteh Johnson, walk in. How is you
dis ebenin', Misteh Johnson--how is you?"

Henry's face showed like a reflector as he bowed and bowed, bending
almost from his head to his ankles, "Good-evenin', Mis' Fa'gut;
good-evenin'. How is you dis evenin'? Is all you' folks well, Mis'
Fa'gut?"

After a great deal of kowtow, they were planted in two chairs opposite
each other in the living-room. Here they exchanged the most tremendous
civilities, until Miss Bella swept into the room, when there was more
kowtow on all sides, and a smiling show of teeth that was like an
illumination.

The cooking-stove was of course in this drawing-room, and on the fire
was some kind of a long-winded stew. Mrs. Farragut was obliged to
arise and attend to it from time to time. Also young Sim came in and
went to bed on his pallet in the corner. But to all these
domesticities the three maintained an absolute dumbness. They bowed
and smiled and ignored and imitated until a late hour, and if they had
been the occupants of the most gorgeous salon in the world they could
not have been more like three monkeys.

After Henry had gone, Bella, who encouraged herself in the
appropriation of phrases, said, "Oh, ma, isn't he divine?"

[Illustration: "They Bowed and Smiled Until a Late Hour"]

IV

A Saturday evening was a sign always for a larger crowd to parade the
thoroughfare. In summer the band played until ten o'clock in the
little park. Most of the young men of the town affected to be superior
to this band, even to despise it; but in the still and fragrant
evenings they invariably turned out in force, because the girls were
sure to attend this concert, strolling slowly over the grass, linked
closely in pairs, or preferably in threes, in the curious public
dependence upon one another which was their inheritance. There was no
particular social aspect to this gathering, save that group regarded
group with interest, but mainly in silence. Perhaps one girl would
nudge another girl and suddenly say, "Look! there goes Gertie Hodgson
and her sister!" And they would appear to regard this as an event of
importance.

On a particular evening a rather large company of young men were
gathered on the sidewalk that edged the park. They remained thus
beyond the borders of the festivities because of their dignity, which
would not exactly allow them to appear in anything which was s