"That's splendid. The year will go fast enough,

never fear. I suppose you pine for a little human society

now and then. A man can never strike the right

medium in such things. In New York we are all rushed

to death. I sometimes feel that I'd like a little rustication

myself. I get nervous, and working for corporations

is wearing. The old gentleman there is Taylor,

president of the Interstate and Western. The ladies

are his wife and her sister. I'd like to introduce

you." He ran his eyes over my corduroys and leggings

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amiably. He had not in years addressed me so pleasantly.

Stoddard had left me to go to the other end of the

platform to speak to some of the students. I followed

Pickering rather loathly to where the companions of

his travels were pacing to and fro in the crisp morning

air.

I laugh still whenever I remember that morning at

Annandale station. As soon as Pickering had got me

well under way in conversation with Taylor, he excused

himself hurriedly and went off, as I assumed, to be sure

the station agent had received orders for attaching the

private car to the Chicago express. Taylor proved to be

a supercilious person,-I believe they call him Chilly

Billy at the Metropolitan Club,-and our efforts to converse

were pathetically unfruitful. He asked me the

value of land in my county, and as my ignorance on this

subject was vast and illimitable, I could see that he was

forming a low opinion of my character and intelligence.

The two ladies stood by, making no concealment of their

impatience. Their eyes were upon the girls from St.

Agatha's on the other platform, whom they could see

beyond me. I had jumped the conversation from Indiana

farm-lands to the recent disorders in Bulgaria,

which interested me more, when Mrs. Taylor spoke

abruptly to her sister.

"That's she-the one in the gray coat, talking to the

clergyman. She came a moment ago in the carriage."

"The one with the umbrella? I thought you said-"

Mrs. Taylor glanced at her sister warningly, and

they both looked at me. Then they sought to detach

themselves and moved away. There was some one on

the farther side of the platform whom they wished to see,

and Taylor, not understanding their manoeuver-he was

really anxious, I think, not to be left alone with me-

started down the platform after them, I following. Mrs.

Taylor and her sister walked to the end of the platform

and looked across, a biscuit-toss away, to where Stoddard

stood talking to the girl I had already heard described

as wearing a gray coat and carrying an umbrella.

The girl in gray crossed the track quickly and addressed

the two women cordially. Taylor's back was to

her and he was growing eloquent in a mild well-bred

way over the dullness of our statesmen in not seeing the

advantages that would accrue to the United States in

fostering our shipping industry. His wife, her sister

and the girl in gray were so near that I could hear

plainly what they were saying. They were referring

apparently to the girl's refusal of an invitation to accompany

them to California.




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