ter look inter, 'cept when she smiled, and
then, Jim, hed yer seen thet smile once you'd never sarched fur no more
bernanzers.

"Her nose was straight ez a blood hoss's fore-arm, teeth perfect, and
white as ther starlight; her har war between yaller and tawny, and lots
of it. Jest then ther sun shone agin it, and my thot war, 'A smoked topaz
ez big ez a dinner bucket war fused and then spun inter threads ter make
thet har.'

"And when she looked up and said, inquirin' like, 'Mr. Jordan?' her voice
war sweeter'n yo' ever hearn a turtle dove when callin' her mate ter
breakfast.

"'Thet's me,' sez I.

"She held out her hand thet war soft an' white an' shapely, an' warm, and
sed:

"'I am Mrs. Margaret Hazleton, ther teacher in ther school, and I was
directed here.'

"I thot I should o' drop through ther floo', but I braced up--waiter,
another bottle--ez I war sayin', I braced up and said, 'Bless me, madam,
I war expectin' ther teacher'd be a man; but walk right in, we'll do ther
best we ken for yer.'

"I called Aunt Sue, and told her to show ther lady whar ter dump her
fixins,' and der yo' believe it, thet dog Bolus, thet war generally
mighty questionin' 'bout strangers, set down 'nd thumped ther floo' like
he war tickled ter death.

"Aunt Sue had cooked prairie chickens, pertaters, hed made hot bread 'n
coffee, 'n fried bernanners, and opened can fruit, and brot out ther
honey 'nd two kinds o' pickles, an' ther supper war fine.

"Ther little woman praised it, gentle like, jest enough an' not o'erdoin'
it, till Aunt Sue's face war bigger'n a full mune, and filled with
satisfaction ter ther very corners.

"All ther time ther lady kep talkin' 'bout Texas, askin' questions, 'bout
ther sile, ther climate, and ther productions, and in course I talked and
did my best a-entertainin' o' her till nine o'clock, when she got up and
sed she'd bid me good-night.

"Aunt Sue give her the best room, in course--thet one beyond ther parlor.
Yo' know I hed it furnished up kinder gorgus with a carpet from
Shreveport, and spring bed and wash-stand and picters from Galveston,
and I felt more satisfaction thinkin' mout be she'd be comfortable, than
I ever hed before since I'd fixed it up.

"When she war gone, I sed: 'Boys, but we is in fur it,' but Aunt Sue
spoke up, and says she: 'Der am white folks and white folks; but dis
one's a born lady, sho.'

"And the cowboys said, 'Shore,' and I was shore myself.

"She war up and out