looking so much grander than any other man in sight that I don't see how
they stand him ever. At that minute the noble black-taffeta deed felt
foolish, but at the next minute I thanked my lucky stars for it.

It is nice to watch for a person to catch sight of you if you feel sure
how they are going to take it and somehow in this case I felt sure. I
was not disappointed, for his smile broke his face up into a joy-laugh.
Off came his hat instantly so I could catch a glimpse of the fascinating
frost over his temples, and with a positive sigh of rapture he subsided
into the seat beside me. I turned with an echo smile all over me when
suddenly his face became grave and considerate, and he looked at me as
all the men in Hillsboro have been doing ever since poor Mr. Carter's
funeral.

"Mrs. Carter," he said very kindly, in a voice that pitched me out of
the car window and left me a mile behind on the track, all by myself,
"I wish I had known of your sad errand to town so I could have offered
you some assistance in your selection. You know we have just had our lot
in the cemetery finally arranged and I found the dealers in memorial
stones very confusing in their ideas and designs. Mrs. Henderson just
told my mother of your absence from home last night, and I could only
come down to the city for the day on important business or I would have
arranged to see you. I hope you found something that satisfied you."

What's a woman going to say when she has a tombstone thrown in her face
like that? I didn't say anything, but what I thought about Aunt Adeline
filled in a dreadful pause.

Perfectly dumb and quiet I sat for an awful space of time and wondered
just what I was going to do. Could a woman lie a monument into her suit