It occurred to the man that there would be something extremely agreeable about finding the Smiling Lady waiting in the shack when evening brought him home. He was reconciled to the leisureliness of Susy’s ambling gait, but Pegeen insisted upon speed. She was afraid that it wouldn’t be light enough for everybody to see her hat and dress, unless they hurried.
“Of course they’d see it afterwards,” she admitted, “but they’ll be watching and it would be nice for them to talk about this evening—’n’ then I promised Jimmy.”
So Susy was urged to do her best and the sun was still shining on the Valley when the returning adventurers turned into Pisgah’s main street and encountered Jimmy Dawes, still barefoot but painfully scoured and elegant in a clean shirt and flaming red tie.
Archibald stopped without orders and Pegeen stood up in the buggy to give her friend the full benefit of her glory. She even raised the pink parasol to add to the scenic effect.
“Well, by Jingo, would you have thought it!”. Jimmy’s amazement was most satisfactory. “Ain’t she a peach?” he asked Archibald with that awed bewilderment with which the masculine always regards feminine metamorphoses. “Why, Peg, you’re getting good-looking.”
“I’ve got,” said Pegeen, with no undue elation but with deep conviction. There had been mirrors in Ranson and Kirby’s Emporium and she had consulted them without prejudice.
“Of course I’m not going to wear these all the time, but I’m not bad even in the dark gingham ones,” she asserted tranquilly.
“Well, don’t get stuck on yourself, that’s all,” counseled Jimmy.
“Gracious, no. It’s only the clothes,” she explained. “I’m not any different.”
The Valley was provided with something to talk about that evening. The fading sunlight rallied and glowed upon the pink frock and the roses, as Pegeen made her triumphal journey along the white road. An astonishing number of the Valley folk happened to be leaning over front gates or sitting on front stoops or standing in front doorways. Peggy waved her pink parasol at all and to those who came down to the gates, she called gay greetings and snatches of information about the wonderful happenings of the day.