in your Northern home, they will be prized because
the thought, at any rate, was beautiful and genuine. 'Where'er I roam,
whatever realms to see, my heart, untravelled, fondly turns to thee.'
Now don't you be embarrassed by an old woman!" I desired to inform her
that I disliked her, but one can never do those things; and, anxious
to learn what was the matter with the cat's-eyes, I spoke amiably and
politely to her. "Twenty dollars!" she murmured. "And he told you they
came from the Pecos!" She gave that single melodious croak I had heard
once before. Then she sat up with her back as straight as if she was
twenty. "My dear young fellow, never do you buy trash in these trains.
Here you are with your coat full of--what's Gadsden's absurd razor
concoctions--strut--strop--bother! And Chinese paste buttons. Last
summer, on the Northern Pacific, the man offered your cat's-eyes to me
as native gems found exclusively in Dakota. But I just sat and mentioned
to him that I was on my way home from a holiday in China, and he went
right out of the car. The last day I was in Canton I bought a box of
those cat's-eyes at eight cents a dozen." After this we spoke a little
on other subjects, and now she's busy writing again. She's on business
in California, but will read a paper at Los Angeles at the annual
meeting of the Golden Daughters of the West. The meal station is coming,
but we have agreed to--

Later, Friday afternoon.--I have been interrupted again. Gadsden
entered, removed his hat, and shouted: "Sharon. Twenty minutes for
dinner." I was calling the porter to order a buffet lunch in the car
when there tramped in upon us three large men of such appearance that
a flash of thankfulness went through me at having so little ready-money
and only a silver watch. Mrs. Brewton looked at them and said, "Well,
gentlemen?" and they took off their embroidered Mexican hats. "We've got
a baby show here," said one of them, slowly, looking at me, "and we'd
be kind of obliged if you'd hold the box." "There's lunch put up in
a basket for you to take along," said the next, "and a bottle of
wine--champagne. So losing your dinner won't lose you nothing." "We're
looking for somebody raised East and without local prejudice," said the
third. "So we come to the Pullman." I now saw that so far from purposing
to rob us they were in a great and honest distress of mind. "But I am
no judge of a baby," said I; "not being mar--" "You don't have to be,"
broke in t