Over the Misty Mountains Read Free Page A

had with several of the local girls. Finally he saw a young woman over to his right with her back to him. He admired the way the rich chestnut hair was done in a French style that he knew was called a chignon. She was very attractive, and a sense of adventure and daring suddenly took Jehoshaphat. He moved over toward her and said, “Miss, may I have the next dance?”
    The young woman turned, and a pair of bright brown eyes suddenly laughed up at him. “I thought you’d never ask, Jehoshaphat!”
    “Faith!” Josh had not seen Faith for six months. She had been to Boston, and now looking at her in a lovely dress, it seemed that he had never seen her before. “Why, you look like a grown woman!”
    “And what did I look like when I left, an old mule?”
    Josh knew that she was teasing him, something she often did. They had become close friends over the past few years, but they had spent more time studying books in dusty schoolrooms or going for walks in the woods than attending parties .
    “I’ve never seen you in a party dress,” he said .
    “Do you like it? I made it myself,” Faith said, twirling around .
    The dress was a simple gown but exquisite, made of a pale pink silk in the Watteau style. It had a low-cut neckline with a dainty white lace frill around it. The bodice fit tightly in front, and in the back the material hung loosely from the neckline, falling into folds all the way to the hem. The elbow-length sleeves were finished with a wide ruffle of lace at the end. The overskirt was of the same pale pink silk, which hung to the floor, trimmed also in exquisite white lace. A delicate pearl necklace, white gloves, and pink satin shoes added the finishing touches to the elegant ensemble .
    “You look absolutely beautiful!”
    “Why, Josh, I believe you’ve been practicing up on young ladies. Have you gotten to be a gallant?”
    “I don’t believe I have.”
    “Pardon me. I believe this is my dance, Miss Faith.”
    Josh turned with annoyance in his eyes. A tall young man was standing there, and before he could say a word, Faith was swept away .
    She sure has changed, he thought to himself as he made his way to the refreshment table, where his mother was sipping from a crystal cup .
    “She’s very pretty, isn’t she?”
    “Faith? Why, I didn’t even recognize her!” Josh said, then glanced back toward the couple dancing in the middle of the ballroom .
    “She’s always been pretty, but you’ve never noticed.”
    “Well, I noticed tonight.”
    “Did you know she made her own dress? She’s a very resourceful one. A steady young woman. A fine Christian, too.”
    Josh did not miss his mother’s comment, but at this stage in his life, he was not particularly interested in Christian girls at all. He was, however, impressed by Faith, and as soon as the tall fellow relinquished her, Josh swept her back out onto the dance floor. “Tell me what you’ve been doing,” he said .
    “No, you tell me what you’ve been doing. I’ve missed our walks together and our studies, too.”
    The dance went on for hours, and for Josh there was only one person there, Faith Hancock. He had difficulty when the tall young man kept insisting on claiming Faith for another dance .
    “Who is he, anyway?”
    “Why, he’s the son of the governor of New Hampshire. He’s down for a visit.”
    “A nutmeg Yankee? Don’t have anything to do with him!”
    “Why, Josh, don’t be silly. He’s actually very nice.”
    “He’s not as nice as I am.” Josh grinned. “I’ll prove it to you.”
    Josh set out to prove that he was nicer than the son of the governor, and from that moment on, everything in Josh Spencer’s life was geared toward courting Faith Hancock .
    Perhaps that was the way of it with Jehoshaphat Spencer. He became a single-minded young man when he wanted something. When he set out to become a hunter, he practiced until he became the best hunter in the county. When he decided to be a rider, he had to ride the