e he wants you to bring him all this
grape juice she has. He'll take it; she can name her own price. He
hands you a ten dollar bill for the bottle he has and for another in the
basket--that's it, give it to him. The rest of the bottles are jams
or something. You want him to take them, but he pushes them back. He's
saying he wants the improved grape juice or nothing. He shows a big wad
of bills to show he can pay for it. You look glad now--the little home
may be saved after all."

The scene was shot. Merton felt that he carried it acceptably. He
had shown the diffident pleading of the country boy that his mother's
product should be at least tasted, his frank rejoicing when the old
gentleman approved of it. He was not so well satisfied with the work of
the Montague girl as his innocent little sister. In her sale of Mother's
jellies to the city men, in her acceptance of their attentions, she
appeared to be just the least bit bold. It seemed almost as if she
wished to attract their notice. He hesitated to admit it, for he
profoundly esteemed the girl, but there were even moments when, in
technical language, she actually seemed to "vamp" these creatures who
thronged about her to profess for her jams and jellies an interest he
was sure they did not feel.

He wondered if Baird had made it plain to her that she was a very
innocent little country girl who should be unpleasantly affected by
these advances. The scene he watched shot where the little sister
climbed back into the motor car, leered at by the four New York
club-men, he thought especially distasteful. Surely the skirt of her
print dress was already short enough. She needed not to lift it under
this evil regard as she put her foot up to the step.

It was on the porch of the hotel, too, that he was to have his first
scene with the New York society girl whose hand he won. She proved to be
the daughter of the old gentleman who liked the improved grape juice.
As Baird had intimated, she was a large girl; not only tall and stoutly
built, but somewhat heavy of face. Baird's heart must have been touched
indeed when he consented to employ her, but Merton remembered her
bedridden father and mother, the little crippled brother, the little
sister who was also in poor health, and resolved to make their scenes
together as easy for her as he could.

At their first encounter she appeared in a mannish coat and riding
breeches, though she looked every inch a woman in this attire.