Laurie Shafton had caught Lynn as she came down the stairs with a bit
of sewing in her hand to give Naomi a direction from her mother, and
had begged her to come out on the porch and talk to him. He pleaded
that he was lonesome, and that it was her duty as hostess to amuse him
for a while.
Lynn had no relish for talking with the guest. Her heart was too sore
to care to talk with any one. But her innate courtesy, and natural
gentleness finally yielded to his pleading, for Laurie had put on a
humility that was almost becoming, and made her seem really rude to
refuse.
She made him sit down in the hammock at the far end, however, and
insisted on herself taking the little rocker quite near the front door.
She knew her father would soon be returning from some parish calls and
would relieve her, so she settled herself with the bit of linen she was
hemstitching and prepared to make the best of it.
"It's a shame my car is out of commission yet," began Laurie settling
back in the hammock and by some strange miracle refraining from
lighting a cigarette. It wouldn't have entered his head that Lynn would
have minded. He didn't know any girls objected to smoking. But this
girl interested him strangely. He wasn't at all sure but it was a case
of love at first sight. He had always been looking for that to happen
to him. He hoped it had. It would be such a delightful experience. He
had tried most of the other kinds.
"Yes, it is too bad for you to be held up in your journey this way,"
sympathized Lynn heartily, "but father says the blacksmith is going to
fix you up by to-morrow he hopes. Those bearings will likely come
to-night."
"Oh, but it has been a dandy experience. I'm certainly glad it
happened. Think what I should have missed all my life, not knowing
you!"
He paused and looked soulfully at Lynn waiting for an appreciative
glance from her fully occupied eyes, but Lynn seemed to have missed the
point entirely: "I should think you might have well afforded to lose the experience of
being held up in a dull little town that couldn't possibly be of the
slightest interest to you," she said dryly, with the obvious idea of
making talk.
"Oh, but I think it is charming," he said lightly! "I hadn't an idea
there was such a place in the world as this. It's ideal, don't you
know, so secluded and absolutely restful. I'm having a dandy time, and
you people have been just wonderful to me. I think I shall come back
often if you'll let me."