Zane Grey

“ The latter looked clean and inviting to Lucy. There would be need of the heavy roll of blankets at the foot. The cold air appeared to go right through Lucy. And the water in the pitcher was like ice. Before she had quite made herself ready to go downstairs she heard a bell ring, and then a great trampling of boots and a scraping of chairs on a bare floor.
"Those men coming in to supper!" she exclaimed. "Bee hunters and white-mule drinkers, that brakeman said! . . . ”

“ They are a clean, hardy, pioneer people. Edd Denmeade, for instance now—he’s a young man the like of which you won’t see often. He's a queer fellow—a bee hunter, wonderful good to look at, wild like them woods he lives in, but a cleaner, finer boy I never knew. He loves his sisters. He gives his mother every dollar he earns, which, Lord knows, isn’t many.... Now, Miss Lucy, Edd like as not will grab you right up an’ pack you off an’ marry you. That would settle your welfare work. ”

“ But we believe in the right hands it will be a great benefit to these uncultivated people of the backwoods. Tact, cleverness, and kindliness of heart will be factors in your success."
Lucy had derived gratification from this indirect compliment. The other remark had aroused only amusement. Mrs. Larabee, also connected with the welfare work, had remarked: "You are a good-looking young woman, Miss Watson. You will cause something of a stir among the young men at Cedar Ridge. ”

“ Now let’s see,” returned her husband, ponderingly. “If our backwoods neighbors are only approached right they’re fine an’ hospitable. The women would welcome anyone who could help them. But the men ain’t so easy. Miss Watson, though, bein’ young an’ nice-lookin’, may be able to make a go of it.... If she can keep Edd Denmeade or one of them bee hunters from marryin’ her!”
Here Lynn laughed good-humoredly and smiled knowingly at Lucy. ”

“ Lynn, bluntly. “It’s better to be safe than sorry! ... I ain’t above tellin’ you, though—if Edd Denmeade really fell in love with you—that’d be different. Edd has been tryin’ to marry every single girl in the country. An’ I don’t believe he’s been in love with any one of them. He’s just woman hungry, as sometimes these backwoodsmen get. That speaks well for him bein’ too clean an’ fine to be like many others. An’ as to that, Edd is only one of a lot of good. boys.”
“Thanks for telling me,” replied Lucy, simply. ”