red for the question. She stared at the
man for an instant, then helplessly laughed at him.

"Well," he said apologetically, "I don't mean to be inquisitive that
way--but sometimes I speak unpolite too--fur all I've saw high society
a'ready!" he added, on the defensive. "Why, here one time I went in to
Lancaster City to see Doc Hess, and he wouldn't have it no other way
but I should stay and eat along. 'Och,' I says, 'I don't want to, I'm
so common that way, and I know yous are tony and it don't do. I'll just
pick a piece [have luncheon] at the tavern,' I says. But no, he says I
was to come eat along. So then I did. And his missus she was wonderful
fashionable, but she acted just that nice and common with me as my own
mother or my wife yet. And that was the first time I have eat what the
noos-papers calls a course dinner. They was three courses. First they
was soup and nothin' else settin' on the table, and then a colored
young lady come in with such a silver pan and such a flat, wide knife,
and she scraped the crumbs off between every one of them three courses.
I felt awful funny. I tell you they was tony. I sayed to the missus, 'I
hadn't ought to of came here. I'm not grand enough like yous'; but she
sayed, 'It's nothing of the kind, and you're always welcome.' Yes, she
made herself that nice and common!" concluded the doctor. "So you see I
have saw high society."

"Yes," Miss Margaret assented.

"Say!" he suddenly put another question to her. "Why don't you get
married?"

"Well," she parried, "why don't YOU?"

"I was married a'ready. My wife she died fur me. She was layin' three
months. She got so sore layin'. It was when we was stoppin' over in
Chicago yet. That's out in Illinois. Then, when she died,--och," he
said despondently, "there fur a while I didn't take no interest in
nothin' no more. When your wife dies, you don't feel fur nothin'. Yes,
yes," he sighed, "people have often troubles! Oh," he granted, "I went
to see other women since. But," shaking his head in discouragement, "it
didn't go. I think I'm better off if I stay single. Yes, I stay single
yet. Well," he reconsidered the question, his head on one side as he
examined the fair lady before him, "if I could get one to suit me
oncet."

Miss Margaret grew alarmed. But the doctor complacently continued,
"When my wife died fur me I moved fu'ther west, and I got out as fur as
Utah yet. That's where they have more 'n one wife. I thought, now, that
the