Page:In defense of Harriet Shelley, and other essays.djvu/160

 MARK TWAIN

my civilian costume, named my name, said I was a lieutenant in the army, and told my story and asked for help.

&quot;What do you suppose the gentleman did? But you would not guess in twenty years. He took out a handful of go d coin and told me to help myself freely. That is what he did.&quot;

The next morning the lieutenant told me his new letter of credit had arrived in the night, so we strolled to Cook s to draw money to pay back the benefactor with. We got it, and then went strolling through the great arcade. Presently he said, &quot;Yonder they are; come and be introduced.&quot; I was introduced to the parents and the young ladies; then we separated, and I never saw him or them any m

&quot;Here we are at Farmington,&quot; said Twichell, interrupting.

We left the trolley-car and tramped through the mud a hundred yards or so to the school, talking about the time we and Warner walked out there years ago, and the pleasant time we had.

We had a visit with my niece in the parlor, then started for the trolley again. Outside the house we encountered a double rank of twenty or thirty of Miss Porter s young ladies arriving from a walk, and we stood aside, ostensibly to let them have room to file past, but really to look at them. Presently one of them stepped out of the rank and said:

&quot;You don t know me, Mr. Twichell, but I know your daughter and that gives me the privilege of shaking hands with you.&quot;

Then she put out her hand to me, and said :

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