"I asked her to but she couldn't."
"Oh," the guest said, "I think Amanda is the sweetest girl. I just love
her!"
"Me, too," added Mary. "She's my teacher."
"Mine too," said Katie. "I like her."
The Landis children were taught politeness according to the standards
of their parents, but they had never been told that they should be seen
and not heard. Meal-time at the Landis farm was not a quiet time. The
children were encouraged to repeat any interesting happening of the day
and there was much laughter and genial conversation and frank
expressions about the taste of the food.
"Um, ain't that short cake good!" said Charlie, smacking his lips.
"Delicious, lovely!" agreed the guest.
"Here, have another piece," urged Mrs. Landis. "I always make enough
for two times around."
"Mom takes care of us, all right," testified Mr. Landis.
"Lovely, I'm sure," Isabel said with a bright smile.
And so the dinner hour sped and at length all rose and Martin, tagged
by two of the younger boys, showed Isabel the garden and yard, while
Mrs. Landis with the aid of Mary and one of the boys cleared off and
washed the dishes. Then the entire family gathered on the big porch and
the time passed so quickly in the soft June night that the guest
declared it had seemed like a mere minute.
"This is the most lovely, adorable family," she told them. "I've had a
wonderful time. How I hate to go back to the noisy city! How I envy you
this lovely porch on such nights!"
Later, when Martin returned from seeing the visitor back to Lancaster,
his parents were sitting alone on the porch.
"Well, Mother, Dad, what do you think of her?" he asked in his boyish
eagerness to have their opinion of the girl he thought he was beginning
to care for. "Isn't she nice?"
"Seems like a very nice girl," said his mother with measured
enthusiasm.
"Oh, Mother," was the boy's impatient answer, "of course you wouldn't
think any girl was good enough for your boy! I can see that. If an
angel from heaven came down after me you'd find flaws in her."
"Easy, Mart," cautioned the father. "Better put on the brakes a bit.
Your mom and I think about the same, I guess, that the girl's a likely
enough lady and she surely is easy to look at, but she ain't what we'd
pick out for you if we had the say. It's like some of these here fancy
ridin' horses people buy. They're all right for ridin' but no good for
hitchin' to a plow. You don't just want a wife that you can play around
with and dress pretty and amuse yourself with. You need a wife that'll
work with you and be a partner and not fail you when trouble comes.
Think that over, Mart."