"Why New York?" I demanded. "Guess again."
"Well," she debated, "well, cowboy clothes and city language--he's English!" she burst out; and then she turned suddenly red, and whispered to herself, reprovingly, "If I'm not acting rude!"
"Oh!" said I, rather familiarly.
"It was, sir; and please to excuse me. If you had started joking so free with me, I'd have been insulted. When I saw you--the hat and everything-- I took you--You see I've always been that used to talking to--to folks around!" Her bright face saddened, memories evidently rose before her, and her eyes grew distant.
I wished to say, "Treat me as 'folks around,'" but this tall country girl had put us on other terms. On discovering I was not "folks around," she had taken refuge in deriding me, but swiftly feeling no solid groun
