ce, for with a delicate
sense of feeling, he quickly looked away in an opposite direction.
Flushed she was with shame, ill at ease, ready to cry out with a
bitter cry, accusingly towards heaven, unspeakably humiliated; but,
withal, a winsome lass, so fresh and fair, so pretty. Such a father!
Such a girl! In heaven's name how do such things come about?

Satisfied with his investigations, Mr. Creecy now remarked, quite
cheerfully:

"I s'pose, sir, you air a drover?"

"A drover? No, sir; as far as I am able to judge, I am not. More, I
cannot say, as I do not know what you mean."

"Den I reckin, sir, you air er furiner inter the bargin."

"No, sir; not a foreigner either, though I was educated abroad--partly."

"Dat's it," ejaculated the old man, triumphantly. "Eddicashun is the
thing what plays the Ole Harry wid the onderstan'in'. Dar is my little
Mell, dar, when she war er chit of er gal, an' knowed nuthin' 'bout
the things writ down in books, she war er mighty smart gal. She had a
onderstan'in' of plain English, mity near es good es mine, an' she
could keep house, an' make butter, an' look arter farm bizniss in
gin'ral, not ter say nuthin' 'bout sowin' her own cloes; an' now,
bless God! arter gittin' er fine eddicashun, she don't know the
diffrance 'tween er hoss an' er mule, or er bull an' er heifer; an'
she'd no mo' let yer ketch 'er wid er broom in her han', or er common
word on her lips dan steal er chickin! Es fur es my experance goes,
nuthin' spiles er gal like high schoolin'. I purt myself ter a heap er
trouble, young man, ter edicate my only darter, but I'd purt myself
ter er long site mo', ter onedicate 'er, ef I know'd how!"

This speech amused Mr. Devonhough to such an extent that he
reluctantly displayed a set of very white teeth, and Mell's rather
strained gayety found an agreeable echo in his pleasant-sounding
laughter. Even the old farmer's features relaxed. He was "consid'ble
hefted up" at the undisguised effect of his own facetiousness.

"The reason I axed ef yer wuz er cattle dealer," he proceeded, "is
dis. You 'pears ter be in the habit er comin' hur every mornin' ter
see our fine Jersey. She's er regular beauty, ain't she?"

"She is--worth coming to see; but since you press the point, I feel
called upon to disavow coming here for any such purpose."

Here Mr. Devonhough turned his contemplative glance from the direction
of Suke's charms, and fixed it mischievously upon Mell who, having
alre