“Won’t you have some more sliced radishes, Teacher?” urged the hostess.  “I made a-plenty.”

“No, I thank you,” Fairchilds replied, with his little air of courtesy that so impressed the whole family.  “I can’t eat radishes in the evening with impunity.”

“But these is with Winegar,” Mrs. Wackernagel corrected him.

Before Mr. Fairchilds could explain, Mr. Wackernagel broke in, confirming the doctor’s proud claim.

“Yes, Doc he’s a Eclectic,” he repeated, evidently feeling that the fact reflected credit on the hotel.  “You can see his sign on the side door.”

“I was always interested in science,” explained the doctor, under the manifest impression that he was continuing the subject.  “Phe-non-e-ma.  That’s what I like.  Odd things.  I’m stuck on ’em!  Now this here wireless teleGRAPHY.  I’m stuck on that, you bet!  To me that there’s a phe-non-e-ma.”

“Teacher,” interrupted Mrs. Wackernagel, “you ain’t eatin’ hearty.  Leave me give you some more sausage.”

“If you please,” Mr. Fairchilds bowed as he handed his plate to her.

“Why don’t you leave him help hisself,” protested Mr. Wackernagel.  “He won’t feel to make hisself at home if he can’t help hisself like as if he was one of us that way.”

“Och, well,” confessed Mrs. Wackernagel, “I just keep astin’ him will he have more, so I can hear him speak his manners so nice.”  She laughed aloud at her own vanity.  “You took notice of it too, Tillie, ain’t?  You can’t eat fur lookin’ at him!”

A tide of color swept Tillie’s face as the teacher, with a look of amusement, turned his eyes toward her end of the table.  Her glance fell upon her plate, and she applied herself to cutting up her untouched sausage.

“Now, there’s Doc,” remarked Amanda, critically, “he’s got good manners, but he don’t use ’em.”

“Och,” said the doctor, “it ain’t worth while to trouble.”

“I think it would be wonderful nice, Teacher,” said Mrs. Wackernagel, “if you learnt them manners you got to your scholars this winter.  I wisht ’Manda and Rebecca knowed such manners.  THEY’re to be your scholars this winter.”

“Indeed?” said Fairchilds; “are they?”

“‘Manda there,” said her father, “she’s so much fur actin’ up you’ll have to keep her right by you to keep her straight, still.”

“That’s where I shall be delighted to keep her,” returned Fairchilds, gallantly, and Amanda laughed boisterously and grew several shades rosier as she looked boldly up into the young man’s eyes.

“Ain’t you fresh though!” she exclaimed coquettishly.

How dared they all make so free with this wonderful young man, marveled Tillie.  Why didn’t they realize, as she did, how far above them he was?  She felt almost glad that in his little attentions to Amanda and Rebecca he had scarcely noticed her at all; for the bare thought of talking to him overwhelmed her with shyness.