noon
Would n't it be great to `` show '' him ? She visioned the amazement , the admiration , the respect , which would shine in his eyes as , insouciantly and yet with dash , she deftly manoeuvred Gypsy 's reins and cantered right into the store ! Afterwards she admitted that a sort of madness must have seized her ; yet , as she raced back toward the town , gently swaying in unison with her mount , her pepper-and-salt legs pressing the pony 's sides with authority , she felt complacently , exultantly sane . And still so when , blithe and debonair , she galloped up Main Street , past piazzas she pleasurably sensed were not unpeopled nor unimpressed ; past the Court House whence a group of men were emerging and stopped dead to stare ; past the Post Office where a crowd awaiting the noon mail swelled the usual bunch of loafers ; on to Pieker 's where , sure enough , Arthur stood in the door ! `` Holy cats ! '' he ejaculated . `` Where in the world did -- '' `` Dare me to ride in the store ? ''