Her ancestors had fought the Indians, and had bequeathed to
the demure little maiden much of their own indomitable spirit. She
had never worn her heart on her sleeve, and was shy of her rustic
admirers chiefly because none of them had realized her ideals of
manhood created by fireside stories of the past.
Zeke's chief competitor for Susie's favor had been Zebulon Jarvis;
and while he had received little encouragement, he laid his
unostentatious devotion at her feet unstintedly, and she knew it.
Indeed, she was much inclined to laugh at him, for he was
singularly bashful, and a frown from her overwhelmed him.
Unsophisticated Susie reasoned that any one who could be so afraid
of HER could not be much of a man. She had never heard of his
doing anything bold and spirited. It might be said, indeed, that
the attempt to wring a livelihood for his widowed mother and for
his younger brothers and sisters from the stumpy, rocky farm
required courage of the highest order; but it was not of a kind
that appealed to the fancy of a romantic young girl.
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