Phillips, have you?" she
queried.
"Eh? Objections? To Charlie? Oh, no, no."
"You like him, don't you? Father likes him very much."
"Yes, indeed; like him fust-rate. All hands like Charlie, the
women-folks especially."
There was a perceptible interval before Miss Hunniwell spoke again.
"What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"Eh? Oh, nothin', except that, accordin' to your dad, he's a
'specially good hand at waitin' on the women and girls up at the
bank, polite and nice to 'em, you know. He's even made a hit with
old Melissy Busteed, and it takes a regular feller to do that."
He would not promise to appear at the Hunniwell home on
Thanksgiving, but he did agree to think it over. Maud had to be
content with that. However, she declared that she should take his
acceptance for granted.
"We shall set a place for you," she said. "Of course you'll come.
It will be such a nice party, you and Pa and Mrs. Armstrong and I
and little Babbie. Oh, we'll have great fun, see if we don't."
"And Charlie; you're leavin' out Charlie," Jed reminded her.
"Oh, yes, so I was. Well, I suppose he'll come, too. Good-by."
She skipped away, waving him a farewell with the tail of the silver
fox. Jed, gazing after her, rubbed his chin reflectively.
His indecision concerning the acceptance of the Hunniwell
invitation lasted until the day before Thanksgiving.
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