"Ach, I guess not. She's a little fancier than I like to see girls, but

then she's a nice girl and can't do Amanda no hurt."

"She means herself too big, that's what! And them folks ain't the right

kind for Amanda to know. It might spite you all yet for takin' her in

to board. Next thing she'll be playin' round with some of the country

boys here, and mebbe take one that Amanda would liked to get. There's

no trustin' such gay dressers. I found that out long a'ready."

"Ach," said Millie, "I guess Amanda don't like none of the boys round

here in Crow Hill."

"How do you know? Guess Amanda ain't no different from the rest of us

in petticoats. You just wait once and see how long it goes till the

boys commence to hang round this fancy Isabel."

Millie hadn't long to wait. Through Mrs. Landis, who had been to

Mennonite church and noticed a stranger with the Reist family, Martin

Landis soon knew of the boarder. That same evening he dressed in his

best clothes. He had not forgotten the dark eyes of Isabel smiling to

him over the pink azaleas.

"Where you goin', Mart?" asked his mother. "Over to Landisville to

church?"

"No--just out for a little while."

"Take me with," coaxed the littlest Landis, now five years old and the

ninth in line.

"Ach, go on!" spoke up an older Landis boy, "what d'you think Mart

wants with you? He's goin' to see his girl. Na, ah!" he cried gleefully

and clapped his hands, "I guessed it! Look at him blushin', Mom!"

Martin made a grab for the boy and shook him. "You've got too much

romantic nonsense in your head," he told the teasing brother. "Next

thing you know you'll be a poet!" He released the squirming boy and

rubbed a finger round the top of his collar as he turned to his mother.

"I'm just going down to Reists' a while. I met Miss Souders a few weeks

ago and thought it would be all right for me to call. The country must

seem quiet to her after living in the city."

"Of course it's all right, Martin," agreed his mother. "Just you go

ahead."

But after he left, Mrs. Landis sat a long while on the porch, thinking

about her eldest boy, her first-born. "He's goin' to see that doll

right as soon as she comes near, and yet Amanda he don't go to see when

she's alone, not unless he wants her to go for a walk or something like

that. If only he'd take to Amanda! She's the nicest girl in Lancaster

County, I bet! But he looks right by her. This pretty girl, in her

fancy clothes and with her flippy ways--I know she's flippy, I watched

her in church--she takes his eye, and if she matches her dress she'll

go to his head like hard cider. Ach, sometimes abody feels like puttin'

blinders on your boys till you get 'em past some women."




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