In the evening I attended candy parties among the
rustics; and danced and played at games. The game that pleased me
most was post-office; for there was plenty of kissing when playing
that. But ah! I did like kissing! I always singled out the most
popular man in the room for conquest; and no other girl had any
chance whenever I entered the lists. And in spite of the preference
which all men gave to me, I was popular, and no unkind words were
uttered about me. If anybody hinted that I was a flirt, there was
sure to be someone present who would promptly say:
'"Oh, she is not proud anyway. She is a _real_ lady; and she is
not too good to mix with common folk."
'Well, in this way things went till I was eighteen. One evening, at
this period, I attended a dance which wound up a "quilting bee," at a
house about a mile distant from our own. All the rustics there were
known to me; but there was a stranger present who at once attracted
my attention. He had not the conscious air and movement of the
country folk, but seemed as cool and as much at ease as if he were in
the woods alone. He was handsome, too, and no sooner did I see him
than I felt attracted by his splendid eyes.
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