Ralph Henry Barbour

“ Telford,” I laughed, “you're just as mean as ever. You bring the most delicious things home and then, when we're all perfectly green with envy at so much splendor, you tell us they're just simple little things of no consequence!” ”

“ Telford's maid brought out the new gowns and waists and lingerie. Aunt Myra pretends that she cares absolutely nothing about such things, but it's only pretense. She was quite as excited as I was. The things really were perfectly dear, and I made up my mind then and there that the first thing I should do when I was married, was to go to Paris and buy all the beautiful things I wanted. It's no fun going when you're just a girl and can't pick out what you want. The things I brought back last time weren't a bit nicer than I could have bought on Fifth Avenue. ”

“ Telford came to call. She is our nearest neighbor, save the residents of the House in the Hedge, and lives across the road, about a hundred yards south; her land runs down in front of us. Mrs. Telford is a widow of about fifty and has been setting her cap at the Major ever since last summer. I suppose I might call her the social leader of Eastmeadows, if such a tiny place can be said to have such a thing, and she is really very pleasant. She wears beautiful things, although they're sometimes rather startling. She goes to Paris every spring and comes home with trunks full of beautiful gowns. ”