'Manda Grier sprang up and got Lemuel a folding-chair. "You ain't a
bit comfortable in that stiff old thing, Mr. Barker."
Lemuel declared that he was perfectly comfortable, but she would not
be contented till he had changed, and then she said, "Why don't you
look after your company, S'tira Dudley? I should think you'd be
ashamed."
Lemuel's face burned with happy shame, and Statira, who was as red
as he was, stole a look at him, that seemed to say that there was no
use trying to stop 'Manda Grier. But when she went on, "I don't know
but it's the fashion to Willoughby Centre," they both gave way
again, and laughed more than ever, and Statira said, "_Well_,
'Manda Grier, what do you s'pose Mr. Barker 'll think?"
She tried to be sober, but the wild girl set her and Lemuel off
laughing when she retorted, "Guess he'll think what he did when he
was brought up in court for highway robbery."
'Manda Grier sat upright in her chair, and acted as if she had
merely spoken about the weather. He knew that she was talking that
way just to break the ice, and though he would have given anything
to be able to second her, he could not.
"How you do carry on, 'Manda Grier," said Statira, as helpless as he
was.
"Guess I got a pretty good load to carry!" said 'Manda Grier.
They all now began to find their tongues a little, and Statira told
how one season when her mother took boarders she had gone over to
the Pastures with a party of summer-folks on a straw-ride and picked
blueberries.
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