John Jardine's Courtship

The following morning they breakfasted together under the branches
of the big maple tree in a beautiful world. Mrs. Jardine was so
happy she could only taste a bite now and then, when urged to.
Kate was trying to keep her head level, and be natural. John
Jardine wanted to think of everything, and succeeded fairly well.
It seemed to Kate that he could invent more ways to spend money,
and spend it with freer hand, than any man she ever had heard of,
but she had to confess that the men she had heard about were
concerned with keeping their money, not scattering it.

"Did you hear unusual sounds when John came to bid me good-night?"
asked Mrs. Jardine of Kate.

"Yes," laughed Kate, "I did. And I'm sure I made a fairly
accurate guess as to the cause."

"What did you think?" asked Mrs. Jardine.

"I thought Mr. Jardine had missed Susette, and you'd had to tell
him," said Kate.

"You're quite right. It's a good thing she went on and lost
herself in New York. I'm not at all sure that he doesn't
contemplate starting out to find her yet."

"Let Susette go!" said Kate. "We're interested in forgetting her.
There's a little country school-teacher here, who wants to take
her place, and it will be the very thing for your mother and for
her, too. She's the one serving us; notice her in particular."

"If she's a teacher, how does she come to be serving us?" he
asked.