his courting before the public. He told Marshall that he hadn't
thought about Ellen for years, but the first time he went to
church last fall he saw her and fell in love with her all over
again. He said he'd clean forgot how handsome she was. He
hadn't seen her for twenty years, if you can believe it. Of
course he never went to church, and Ellen never went anywhere
else round here. Oh, we all know what Norman means, but what
Ellen means is a different matter. I shan't take it upon me to
predict whether it will be a match or not."

"He jilted her once--but it seems that does not count with some
people, Mrs. Dr. dear," Susan remarked rather acidly.

"He jilted her in a fit of temper and repented it all his life,"
said Miss Cornelia. "That is different from a cold-blooded
jilting. For my part, I never detested Norman as some folks do.
He could never over-crow ME. I DO wonder what started him coming
to church. I have never been able to believe Mrs. Wilsons's
story that Faith Meredith went there and bullied him into it.
I've always intended to ask Faith herself, but I've never
happened to think of it just when I saw her. What influence
could SHE have over Norman Douglas? He was in the store when I
left, bellowing with laughter over that scandalous letter. You
could have heard him at Four Winds Point. 'The greatest girl in
the world,' he was shouting. 'She's that full of spunk she's
bursting with it. And all the old grannies want to tame her,
darn them. But they'll never be able to do it--never! They
might as well try to drown a fish. Boyd, see that you put more
fertilizer on your potatoes next year. Ho, ho, ho!' And then he
laughed till the roof shook."