Page:Steadfast Heart.djvu/71

 be asking a favor, rather than bestowing a notable charity.

Angus nodded affirmatively…. That was all.

“In that case,” said Dave, “we’ll have to doll you up. You’ve got to be a credit to a dressy man like me…. And another thing: you might smile once in a while. Know what a smile is? Understand, I’m not asking you to laugh out loud nor to see a joke. Just kind of grin now and then to get your face used to it. We’ll work up to the laugh by slow stages.”

Wilkins never had outfitted a boy, but he began the enterprise with enthusiasm and determination. From straw hat to stubby shoes he proceeded in leisurely manner and with appropriate comment, and ended by setting Angus in the barber’s chair. He surveyed the result with satisfaction…. Rainbow had surveyed the pair of them with astonishment…. It gratified and somehow encouraged Wilkins to note how Angus strove to see his reflection in the windows of stores as they passed; that he found difficulty in keeping his eyes off his new shoes; that he crooked his arm stiffly before him to peer at the fabric of his coat. In short, Wilkins was delighted that Angus showed signs of interest and boyish vanity. It was not much, but it was something.