re was a poor practice! One woman would do ME. Say!" he again fixed
her with his eye.

"What?"

"Do you like your job?"

"Well," she tentatively answered, "it's not uninteresting."

"Would you ruther keep your job than quit and get married?"

"That depends--"

"Or," quickly added the doctor, "you might jus keep on teachin' the
school after you was married, if you married some one livin' right
here. Ain't? And if you kep' on the right side of the School Board.
Unlest you'd ruther marry a town fellah and give up your job out here.
Some thinks the women out here has to work too hard; but if they
married a man where [who] was well fixed," he said, insinuatingly, "he
could hire fur 'em [keep a servant]. Now, there's me. I'm well fixed. I
got money plenty."

"You are very fortunate," said Miss Margaret, sympathetically.

"Yes, ain't? And I ain't got no one dependent on me, neither. No
brothers, no sisters, no--wife--" he looked at her with an ingratiating
smile. "Some says I'm better off that way, but sometimes I think
different. Sometimes I think I'd like a wife oncet."

"Yes?" said Miss Margaret.

"Um--m," nodded the doctor. "Yes, and I'm pretty well fixed. I wasn't
always so comfortable off. It went a long while till I got to doin'
pretty good, and sometimes I got tired waitin' fur my luck to come. It
made me ugly dispositioned, my bad luck did. That's how I got in the
way of addicting to profane language. I sayed, still, I wisht, now, the
good Lord would try posperity on me fur a while--fur adwersity
certainly ain't makin' me a child of Gawd, I sayed. But now," he added,
rubbing his knees with satisfaction, "I'm fixed nice. Besides my
doctor's fees, I got ten acres, and three good hommies that'll be cows
till a little while yet. And that there organ in the front room is my
property. Bought it fifteen years ago on the instalment plan. I leave
missus keep it settin' in her parlor fur style that way. Do you play
the organ?"

"I CAN," was Miss Margaret's qualified answer.

"I always liked music--high-class music--like 'Pinnyfore.' That's a
nopery I heard in Lancaster there one time at the rooft-garden. That
was high-toned music, you bet. No trash about that. Gimme somepin nice
and ketchy. That's what I like. If it ain't ketchy, I don't take to it.
And so," he added admiringly, "you can play the organ too!"

"That's one of my distinguished accomplishments," said Miss Margaret.

"Well, say!" The doctor leaned