第29章

Outside of the gates of the Snow place Albert was making many acquaintances and a few friends.After church on Sundays his grandmother had a distressful habit of suddenly seizing his arm or his coat-tail as he was hurrying toward the vestibule and the sunshine of outdoors, and saying: "Oh, Albert, just a minute!

Here's somebody you haven't met yet, I guess.Elsie"--or Nellie or Mabel or Henry or Charlie or George, whichever it happened to be--"this is my grandson, Albert Speranza." And the young person to whom he was thus introduced would, if a male, extend a hesitating hand, give his own an embarrassed shake, smile uncertainly and say, "Yes--er--yes.Pleased to meet you." Or, if of the other sex, would blush a little and venture the observation that it was a lovely morning, and wasn't the sermon splendid.

These Sabbath introductions led to week-day, or rather week-evening, meetings.The principal excitement in South Harniss was "going for the mail." At noon and after supper fully one-half of the village population journeyed to the post office.Albert's labors for Z.Snow and Co.prevented his attending the noon gatherings--his grandfather usually got the morning mail--but he early formed the habit of sauntering "down street" in the evening if the weather was not too cold or disagreeable.There he was certain to find groups of South Harniss youth of both sexes, talking, giggling, skylarking and flirting.Sometimes he joined one or the other of these groups; quite as often he did not, but kept aloof and by himself, for it may as well be acknowledged now, if it is not already plain, that the son of Miguel Carlos Speranza had inherited a share of his father's temperament and self-esteem.

The whim of the moment might lead him to favor these young people with his society, but he was far from considering himself under obligation to do so.He had not the least idea that he was in any way a snob, he would have hotly resented being called one, but he accepted his estimate of his own worth as something absolute and certain, to be taken for granted.

Now this attitude of mind had its dangers.Coupled with its possessor's extraordinary good looks, it was fascinating to a large percentage of the village girls.The Speranza eyes and the Speranza curls and nose and chin were, when joined with the easy condescension of the Speranza manner, a combination fatal to the susceptible.The South Harniss "flappers," most of them, enthused over the new bookkeeper in the lumber office.They ogled and giggled and gushed in his presence, and he was tolerant or bored, just as he happened to be feeling at the moment.But he never displayed a marked interest in any one of them, for the very good reason that he had no such interest.To him they were merely girls, nice enough in their way, perhaps, but that way not his.

Most of the town young fellows of his age he found had a "girl" and almost every girl had a "fellow"; there was calf love in abundance, but he was a different brand of veal.

However, a great man must amuse himself, and so he accepted invitations to church socials and suppers and to an occasional dance or party.His style of dancing was not that of South Harniss in the winter.It was common enough at the hotel or the "tea house" in July and August when the summer people were there, but not at the town hall at the Red Men's Annual Ball in February.Afellow who could foxtrot as he could swept all before him.Sam Thatcher, of last year's class in the high school, but now clerking in the drug store, who had hitherto reigned as the best "two-stepper" in town, suddenly became conscious of his feet.Then, too, the contents of the three trunks which had been sent on from school were now in evidence.No Boston or Brockton "Advanced Styles" held a candle to those suits which the tailor of the late Miguel Carlos had turned out for his patron's only son.No other eighteen-year-older among the town's year-around residents possessed a suit of evening clothes.Albert wore his "Tux" at the Red Men's Ball and hearts palpitated beneath new muslin gowns and bitter envy stirred beneath the Brockton "Advanced Styles."In consequence, by spring the social status of Albert Speranza among those of his own age in the village had become something like this: He was in high favor with most of the girls and in corresponding disfavor with most of the young fellows.The girls, although they agreed that he was "stand-offish and kind of queer,"voted him "just lovely, all the same." Their envious beaux referred to him sneeringly among themselves as a "stuck-up dude."Some one of them remembered having been told that Captain Zelotes, years before, had been accustomed to speak of his hated son-in-law as "the Portygee." Behind his back they formed the habit of referring to their new rival in the same way.The first time Albert heard himself called a "Portygee" was after prayer meeting on Friday evening, when, obeying a whim, he had walked home with Gertie Kendrick, quite forgetful of the fact that Sam Thatcher, who aspired to be Gertie's "steady," was himself waiting on the church steps for that privilege.