Produced by Donna M. Ritchey, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. THE WOOING OF CALVIN PARKS [Illustration: CALVIN PARKS.] THE WOOING OF CALVIN PARKS By LAURA E. RICHARDS Author of "Captain January," "Melody," "Mrs. Tree," "Geoffrey Strong," etc. _ILLUSTRATED_ BOSTON * DANA ESTES & COMPANY * PUBLISHERS _Copyright, 1908_ By DANA ESTES & COMPANY _All rights reserved_ THE WOOING OF CALVIN PARKS _COLONIAL PRESS_ _Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co._ _Boston, U.S.A._ TO H. H. R. WITH MUCH LOVE Transcriber's notes: Obvious printer errors have been silently corrected and hyphenated words have been standardized. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. INTRODUCING THE PRICIPAL CHARACTERS 11 II. BROTHERLY WAYS 21 III. CALVIN'S STORY 38 IV. THE CANDY ROUTE 48 V. CONCERNING PEPPERMINTS 63 VI. BOARD AND LODGING 76 VII. MATCH-MAKING 88 VIII. "PLAYING S'POSE" 101 IX. CANDY-MAKING 120 X. JOHN ALDEN--WITH A DIFFERENCE 134 XI. CONCERNING TRADE 148 XII. CALVIN'S WATERLOO 160 XIII. MERRY CHRISTMAS 187 XIV. AT LAST! 204 XV. BY WAY OF CONTRAST 219 XVI. TOIL AND TROUBLE 238 XVII. NIGHT 252 XVIII. MORNING 259 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS CALVIN PARKS _Frontispiece_ "HE LOOKED FROM ONE TWIN TO THE OTHER, HALF AMUSED, HALF INDIGNANT" 40 "CALVIN REGARDED THEM BENEVOLENTLY" 49 MR. CHEESEMAN 120 "'HOLD ON, MISS HANDS!' SAID CALVIN, AS SHE MOVED TOWARD THE DOOR" 137 "'THEN I HOVE HIM BACK INTO THE DRIFT TO COOL OFF A SPELL'" 188 MARY SANDS 204 "THEN WITH ONE SWIFT MOTION, CALVIN TRANSFERRED THE PIE FROM HIS PLATE TO THE STOVE" 233 THE WOOING OF CALVIN PARKS CHAPTER I INTRODUCING THE PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS "If I'm not mistaken," said Calvin Parks, "this is the ro'd where Sam and Sim used to live!" He checked his horse and looked about him. "And there--well, I'm blowed if that ain't the house now. Same old pumpkin-color; same old well-sweep; same old trees; it certinly is the house. Well!"