That day after school she started out for the purpose of laying the foundation for the fulfillment of a part of her plans.  There was in the post-office a clerk whose name was Joseph Dunn.  He was an awkward, rawboned young man, about six feet two inches high.  Until within a few months he had lived near Mr. Middleton.  He had a yellow face, yellow hair and yellow teeth, the latter of which projected over his under lip.  He also drove a very yellow horse and rode in a yellow buggy.  In his own estimation he was perfectly irresistible, and imagined he had only to say the word and all the girls in the country would eagerly accept the offer of being mistress of his fancy colored horse and person.  For Fanny he had conceived a violent passion and wondered much that she should repel all his serious advances.  At last he wrote her a letter saying that on a certain afternoon he would visit her and make a formal offer of his hand.  He bade her weigh the matter seriously, so that she would have no one to blame but herself, if she should ever regret answering in the affirmative.

Fanny was very much annoyed by this letter and when on the afternoon specified she saw old “sorrel” coming up to the gate, she said, “Father, there is Joe coming here to offer me the honor of becoming Mrs. Dunn.  He troubles me exceedingly with his attentions, and I wish you would manage to make him keep away.”

Thus enlightened, Mr. Middleton was ready for any emergency, and he answered Joe’s confident knock in person.  The young man greeted him with a very polite, “Good afternoon,” to which Mr. Middleton returned with a significant “umph!”

“Is your daughter Fanny at home?” asked Mr. Dunn.

“Yes, she’s at home,” said Mr. Middleton.  “What d’ye want of her?”

“I should like to have a few moments’ private conference with her, if you’ve no objection, sir,” replied Mr. Dunn.

“A few moments private fiddlestick,” answered Mr. Middleton.  “What the devil—­whose little boy are you?  Ain’t you Miss Dunn’s little boy?  You’d better scratch gravel for home, and if I catch you here again dickerin’ after Fanny, I’ll pull every corn-colored hair out of your head!”

This rebuff somewhat cooled the ardor of Joseph’s attachment, and as he felt sure that Fanny had told her father of his coming, he from that time disliked her as much as he had before admired her.  Not long after the sad finale of his affaire de coeur, he left his home in the country, and going to Frankfort became a clerk in the post office.  Julia well knew the old grudge which he had toward Fanny, and as he did not possess the best principles in the world, she had strong hopes of procuring his services for the accomplishment of her purpose.  Accordingly, at about half past five she bent her steps in the direction of the post office, hoping to see him in the street, for she knew that he usually went to his supper at that hour.  She had not gone far beyond the post office when he overtook her.  She greeted him with her blandest smile, and as she seemed inclined to be very sociable, he slackened his pace for the sake of walking with her.  They had not proceeded far when she said, “Mr. Dunn, if you are not in a particular hurry, I should like to have you walk on with me, as I have something to communicate to you.”