g room that night struck Mrs. Winthrop forcibly. Joe, lean and
brown, with laughing eyes, was the typical frontiersman; Fletcher,
quiet and substantial looking, with his air of culture and ease and
his modulated voice, was the type of a city man; David--"What a man he
is!" she was forced to admit as he stood, head uplifted in the white
glare under the chandelier, the brilliant light shining upon his dark
hair, and his eyes glowing like stars. His lithe figure, perfect in
poise and balance, of virile strength that was toil-proof, wore the
look of the outdoor life. His smile banished everything that was
ordinary from his face and transmuted it into a glowing personality.
His eyes, serious with that insight of the observer who knows what is
going on without and within, were clear and steady.

The table was laid for six in the sitting room, the flowers and
candles giving it a homelike look.

As Mrs. Winthrop listened to the conversation between her husband and
David she was forced to admit that the young candidate for governor
was a man of mark.

"I never knew a man without good birth to have such perfect breeding,"
she thought. "He really appears as well as Fletcher, and, well, of
course, he has more temperament. If he could have been born on a
different plane," thinking of her long line of Virginia ancestors.

She had ceded a great deal to her husband's and Carey's democracy, and
reserved many an unfavorable criticism of their friends and their
friends' ways with a tactfulness that had blinded their eyes to her
true feelings. Yet David knew instinctively her standpoint; she partly
suspected that he knew, and the knowledge did not disturb her; she
intuitively gauged his pride, and welcomed it, for a suitor of the
Fletcher Wilder station of life was more to her liking.

Carey led David away from her father's political discourse, and
encouraged him to give reminiscences of old days. Joe told a few
inimitable western stories, and before the cozy little meal was
finished Mrs. Winthrop, though against her will, was feeling the
compelling force of David's winning sweetness. The sound of a distant
band hurried them from the table to the balcony.

"They've certainly got a fair showing of floating banners and
transformations," said Joe.

As the procession came nearer the face of the hardy ranchman flushed
crimson and his eyes flashed dangerously. He made a quick motion as
if to obstruct David's vision, but the young candida