said
he, eyeing me, and smiling as much as was seemly.

"But I am not of the world's people, if thee means the flaunters of
various colors and loud-voiced nothings. And I do not think of
marriage--nay, will not--until thy daughter has taken me into full
acquaintanceship and approbation. Thee knows I am not advanced in the
world's wealth, and that I am but a beginner in manhood; thee knows that I
came here and set up as a lumberman; thee may or may not care to have thy
daughter to know me."

"I care as much as beseems any father to bethink him of his child's
welfare. Come with me, Samuel Biddle."

So he fetched me into the sizable sunny kitchen where Barbara was
preparing vegetables for the dinner.

"This is friend Samuel Biddle," said he.

"I am pleased to see thee," said she, "and if thee waits until I dry my
fingers I will shake hands with thee."

Youth is ever impetuous. In my haste or foolish confusion I took her hand
as it was, and had the mortified pride of seeing a long potato-paring
hanging about my thumb when she had resumed her occupation.

"Thee is overly quick," said her father, rather displeased, I thought.

"Thee must pardon me: it is a habit I have."

"Habits are bad things to have."

"Thank thee," I said.

I know that unnecessary words are wholly unlooked for amongst us Friends,
and that description of any part of the Lord's works is as unnecessary and
carries with it as little of what we mean as can be. Incidents are greater
than description, as the telling to me how a tree looked when it was in
full foliage is not near so incisive as that the tree fell with a great
crash during a storm in the night. Therefore it would be using needless
language, which a Friend's discipline enjoins him to beware of, for me to
say how friend Hicks's daughter might have seemed to those to whom I
wished to impart how she seemed to me; rather let some various incidents
provide their estimate of her. That one of the world's people might say
she was pleasant to look upon I have no doubt; but to me she was not
beautiful: she was only what I would have had her to be; and that which is
entirely as we would have it to be is never beautiful: it is too near us
to be that. I cared well to be with her while her father bided near and
talked to me of the community I had left, and which had given me my
certificate to friend Hicks's Meeting. And yet I fear me that I made
several dubious replies to his many trite questions a