ver was transpiring about them, with that immobility of countenance
which characterizes the finished tourist and the North American Indian.
There were occasions when these self-possessed beings assumed erect
positions and manifested ordinary human interest. One of these was the
breaking out of a fight between either men or animals; another was the
passing of a lady of either handsome face or showy dress. So it happened
that, when pretty, well-dressed Mabel Fewne was enjoying a drive with
one of her admirers, there was quite a stir among such Enders as chanced
to see her. The venders of the beverages for which the Enders spent most
of their money noticed that, upon that particular afternoon, an unusual
proportion of their customers stood at the bar with no assistance from
the bar itself, that some spirit was manifest in their walk and
conversation, and yet they were less than usual inclined to be
quarrelsome. So great was the excitement caused by Miss Fewne's
appearance, that one Ender was heard to ask another who she was--an
exhibition of curiosity very unusual in that part of the town. Even
more: One member of that apparently hopeless gang was known to wash his
face and hands, purchase a suit of cheap--but new and clean--clothing,
and take an eastern-bound train, presumably to appear among respectable
people he had known during some earlier period of his existence.
On the evening of the next day a delightful little party was enjoyed by
the well-to-do inhabitants of Smithton. New as was the town, the
parlors of Mrs. General Wader (her husband was something for the railway
company) were handsomely furnished, the ladies were elaborately dressed,
the gentlemen lacked not one of the funereal garments which men
elsewhere wear to evening parties, and stupid people were noticeably
rarer than, in similar social gatherings, in older communities. Mabel
Fewne was there, and as human nature is the same at Smithton as in the
East, she was the belle of the evening. She entered the room on the arm
of her brother-in-law, and that warrior's height, breadth, bronzed
countenance and severe uniform, made all the more striking the figure
which, clad apparently in a pale blue cloud, edged with silver and
crowned with gold, floated beside him. Men crowded about her at once,
and the other ladies present had almost undisturbed opportunity in which
to converse with each other.
At the End there was likewise a social gathering. The place was Dra
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