The Lady Peddler and the Diplomats

s and mother wit to see her opportunity and make the most of it. This hardworking, old-young, neglected creature had blossomed under the sunshine of masculine approbation, into a maturity far more attractive than her starved, sharp-angled, disappointed youth had ever been. She did not lose her head, neither did she adopt the capricious wiles of youthful coquetry. On the contrary, in this atmosphere of new and exotic appreciation, her individuality seemed to broaden, develop and expand, and the qualities she possessed were those that won their way with the mountain people. She had a gift of give and take repartee, eminently good-natured, without bitterness or sarcasm; she was sympathetic and tactful, and a shrewd knowledge of human nature gained by her years of canvassing had supplied her with a fund of humorous anecdote.

Consequently, during the long summer months, the porch of the cabin where she lodged was usually filled to overflowing. It had become the natural and accepted thing for Miss Mayme Polk