gether
where I can talk at them."

"Who's going?" asked Jennie.

"The Bronsons, Con Bonner and Nils Hansen and Bettina," replied Jim.
"That's all from our district--and Columbus Brown and probably others from
near-by localities."

"I shall have to have some clothes," said Jennie.

Jim failed to respond to this, as clearly out of his field. They were
passing the county fair buildings, and he began expatiating on the kind of
county fair he would have--a great county exposition with the schools as
its central thought--a clearing house for the rural activities of all the
country schools.

"And pa's going to have a suit before we go, too," said Jennie. "Here are
some samples I got of Atkins, the tailor. Which would be the most becoming
do you think?"

Jim looked the samples over carefully, but had little to say as to their
adaptation to Colonel Woodruff's sartorial needs. Jennie laid great stress
on the excellent quality of one or two samples, and carefully specified
the prices of them. Jim exhibited no more than a languid and polite
interest, and gave not the slightest symptom of ever having considered
even remotely the contingency of having a tailor-made suit. Jennie sidled
closer to the subject.

"I should think it would be awfully hard for you to get fitted in the
stores," said she, "you are so very tall."

"It would be," said Jim, "if I had ever considered the matter of looks
very much. I guess I'm not constructed on any plan the clothing
manufacturers have regarded as even remotely possible. How about this
county fair idea? Couldn't we do this next fall? You organize the
teachers----"

Jennie advanced the spark, cut out the muffler and drowned the rest of
Jim's remarks in wind and dust.

"I give it up, dad," said she to her father that evening.

"What?" queried the colonel.

"Jim Irwin's clothes," she replied. "I think he'll go to Ames in a
disgraceful plight, but I can't get any closer to the subject than I have
done."

"Oh, then you haven't heard the news," said the colonel. "Jim's going to
have his first made-to-measure suit for Ames. It's all fixed."

"Who's making it?" asked Jennie.

"Gustaf Paulsen, the Dane that's just opened a shop in town." "A Dane?"
queried Jennie. "Isn't he related to some of the neighbors?"

"A brother to Mrs. Hansen," answered the colonel.

"Bettina's uncle!"

"Ratherly," said the colonel jocularly, "seeing as how Bettina's Mrs.
Hansen's daughter."

Clothes are r