“Why，Ihavebeennoticing。IusedtodespiseanEasternmanbecausehisclotheswerenotWestern。Iwasveryyoungthen，ormaybenotsoveryyoung，asvery——aswhatyousawIwaswhenyoufirstcametoBearCreek。AWesternmanisagoodthing。Andhegenerallyknowsthat。Buthehasaheaptolearn。Andhegenerallydon’tknowthat。SoItooktowatchingtheJudge’sEasternvisitors。TherewasthatMr。Ogdenespecially，fromNewYawk——thegentlemanthatwastherethetimewhenIhadtositupallnightwiththemissionary，yu’know。Hisclothespleasedmebestofall。Fithimsowell，andnothingflash。Igotmyideas，andwhenIknewIwasgoingtomarryyou，IsentmymeasureEast——andIandthetailorareoldenemiesnow。“
Benningtonprobablywasdisappointed。Toseegetoutofthetrainmerelyatallmanwithausualstrawhat，andScotchhomespunsuitofaratherbettercutthanmostinBennington——thiswasdull。Andhisconversation——whenheindulgedinany——seemedfittocomeinsidethehouse。
Mrs。FlynttookherrevengebysowingbroadcastherthankfulnessthatpoorSamBannetthadbeenMolly’srejectedsuitor。Hehaddonesomuchbetterforhimself。SamhadmarriedarichMissVanScootzer，ofthesecondfamiliesofTroy；andwiththeircombinedrichesthishappycouplestillinhabitthemostexpensiveresidenceinHoosicFalls。
ButmostofBenningtonsoonbegantosaythatMollyscow-boycouldbeinvitedanywhereandholdhisown。Thetimecamewhentheyceasedtospeakofhimasacow-boy，anddeclaredthatshehadshownremarkablesense。Butthiswasnotquiteyet。
Didthisbrideandgroomenjoytheirvisittoherfamily？
Well——well，theydidtheirbest。Everybodydidtheirbest，evenSarahBell。ShesaidthatshefoundnothingtoobjecttointheVirginian；shetoldMollyso。HerhusbandSamdidbetterthanthat。HetoldMollyheconsideredthatshewasinluck。AndpoorMrs。Wood，sittingonthesofa，conversedscrupulouslyandtimidlywithhernovelson-in-law，andsaidtoMollythatshewasastonishedtofindhimsogentle。Andhewasundoubtedlyfine-looking；yes，veryhandsome。ShebelievedthatshewouldgrowtoliketheSouthernaccent。Oh，yes！Everybodydidtheirbest；and，dearreader，ifeverithasbeenyourearthlyportiontolivewithanumberofpeoplewhowerealldoingtheirbest，youdonotneedmetotellyouwhataheavenlyatmospherethiscreates。
Andthenthebrideandgroomwenttoseetheoldgreat-auntoveratDunbarton。
Theirfirstarrival，theoneatBennington，hadbeenthus:SamBellhadmetthematthetrain，andMrs。Wood，waitinginherparlor，hadembracedherdaughterandreceivedherson-in-law。
Amongthemtheyhadmanagedtomaketheoccasionascompletelymournfulasanyfamilypartycanbe，withthewindowblindsup。
“Andwithyoupresent，mydear，“saidSamBelltoSarah，“theabsenceofacoffinwasnotfelt。“
ButatDunbartontheaffairwentoffdifferently。Theheartoftheancientladyhadtaughtherbetterthings。FromBenningtontoDunbartonisthegoodpartofaday’sjourney，andtheydroveuptothegateintheafternoon。Thegreat-auntwasinhergarden，pickingsomeAugustflowers，andshecalledasthecarriagestopped，“Bringmynephewhere，mydear，beforeyougointothehouse。“
Atthis，Molly，steppingoutofthecarriage，squeezedherhusband’shand。“Iknewthatshewouldbelovely，“shewhisperedtohim。Andthensherantoheraunt’sarms，andlethimfollow。
Hecameslowly，hatinhand。
Theoldladyadvancedtomeethim，tremblingalittle，andholdingoutherhandtohim。“Welcome，nephew，“shesaid。“Whatatallfellowyouare，tobesure。Standoff，sir，andletmelookatyou。“
TheVirginianobeyed，blushingfromhisblackhairtohiscollar。
Thenhisnewrelativeturnedtoherniece，andgaveheraflower。
“Putthisinhiscoat，mydear，“shesaid。“AndIthinkI
understandwhyyouwantedtomarryhim。“
Afterthisthemaidcameandshowedthemtotheirrooms。Leftaloneinhergarden，thegreat-auntsankonabenchandsatthereforsometime；foremotionhadmadeherveryweak。
Upstairs，Molly，sittingontheVirginian’sknee，puttheflowerinhiscoat，andthenlaidherheaduponhisshoulder。
“Ididn’tknowoldladiescouldbethatway，“hesaid。“D’yu’
reckontherearemany？“
“Oh，Idon’tknow，“saidthegirl。“I’msohappy！“
Nowattea，andduringtheevening，thegreat-auntcarriedoutherplansstillfurther。Atfirstshedidthechiefpartofthetalkingherself。NordidsheaskquestionsaboutWyomingtoosoon。Shereachedthatinherownway，andfoundouttheonethingthatshedesiredtoknow。ItwasthroughGeneralStarkthatsheleduptoit。
“Thereheis，“shesaid，showingthefamilyportrait。“Andaroughtimehemusthavehadofitnowandthen。NewHampshirewasfulloffineyoungmeninthosedays。ButnowadaysmostofthemhavegoneawaytoseektheirfortunesintheWest。Dotheyfindthem，Iwonder？“
“Yes，ma’am。Allthegoodonesdo。“
“Butyoucannotallbe——whatisthename？——CattleKings。“
“That’shavingitsday，ma’am，rightnow。Andwearegettingreadyforthechange——someofusare。
“Andwhatmaybethechange，andwhenisittocome？“
“Whenthenaturalpastureiseatenoff，“heexplained。“Ihaveseenthatcomingalongwhile。Andifthethievesaregoingtomakeusdriveourstockaway，we’lldriveit。Iftheydon’t，we’llhavebigpasturesfenced，andhayandshelterreadyforwinter。Whatwe’llspendinimprovements，we’llmorethansaveinwages。Iamwellfixedforthenewconditions。Andthen，whenI
tookupmyland，Ichoseaplacewherethereiscoal。Itwillnotbelongbeforethenewrailroadneedsthat。“
Thustheoldladylearnedmoreofherniece’shusbandinoneeveningthantheBenningtonfamilyhadascertainedduringhiswholesojournwiththem。ForbytouchinguponWyominganditsfuture，sherousedhimtotalk。HefoundhermindalivetoWesternquestions:irrigation，theIndians，theforests；andsoheexpanded，revealingtoherhiswideobservationandhisshrewdintelligence。Heforgotentirelytobeshy。ShesentMollytobed，andkepthimtalkingforanhour。Thensheshowedhimoldthingsthatshewasproudof，“because，“shesaid，“we，too，hadsomethingtodowithmakingourcountry。AndnowgotoMolly，oryou’llboththinkmeatiresomeoldlady。“
“Ithink——“hebegan，butwasnotquiteequaltoexpressingwhathethought，andsuddenlyhisshynessfloodedhimagain。
“Inthatcase，nephew，“saidshe，“I’mafraidyou’llhavetokissmegoodnight。“
Andsoshedismissedhimtohiswife，andtohappinessgreaterthaneitherofthemhadknownsincetheyhadleftthemountainsandcometotheEast。“He’lldo，“shesaidtoherself，nodding。
TheirvisittoDunbartonwasallhappinessandreparationforthedolefuldaysatBenningtonTheoldladygavemuchcomfortandadvicetohernieceinprivate，andwhentheycametoleave，shestoodatthefrontdoorholdingboththeirhandsamoment。
“Godblessyou，mydears，“shetoldthem。“Andwhenyoucomenexttime，I’llhavethenurseryready。“
Andsoithappenedthatbeforesheleftthisworld，thegreat-auntwasabletoholdinherarmsthefirstoftheirmanychildren。
JudgeHenryatSunkCreekhadhisweddingpresentready。HisgrowingaffairsinWyomingneededhispresenceinmanyplacesdistantfromhisranch，andhemadetheVirginianhispartner。
Whenthethievesprevailedatlength，astheydid，forcingcattleownerstoleavethecountryorberuined，theVirginianhadforestalledthiscrash。TheherdsweredrivenawaytoMontana。
Then，in1889，camethecattlewar，when，afterputtingtheirmeninoffice，andcomingtoownsomeofthenewspapers，thethievesbroughtruinonthemselvesaswell。Forinabrokencountrythereisnothinglefttosteal。
Buttherailroadcame，andbuiltabranchtothatlandoftheVirginian’swherethecoalwas。Bythattimehewasanimportantman，withastronggriponmanyvariousenterprises，andabletogivehiswifeallandmorethansheaskedordesired。
SometimesshemissedtheBearCreekdays，whensheandhehadriddentogether，andsometimesshedeclaredthathisworkwouldkillhim。Butitdoesnotseemtohavedoneso。TheireldestboyridesthehorseMonte；and，strictlybetweenourselves，Ithinkhisfatherisgoingtolivealongwhile。
End
