Tom's Eastern polish was not popular among the
young people. They could have endured it, per-^
haps, if Tom had stopped there; but he wore.
gloves, and that they couldn't stand, and wouldn't;
so he was mainly without society. He brought,
home with him a suit of clothes of such exquisite *
style and cut and fashion, — Eastern fashion, city
fashion, — that it filled everybody with anguish and
was regarded as a peculiarly wanton affront. He en- I
joyed the feeling which he was exciting, and paraded '
the town serene and happy all day ; but the young :
fellows set a tailor to work that night, and when |
Tom started out on his parade next morning he \
found the old deformed negro bell-ringer straddling "^
along in his wake tricked out in a flamboyant
curtain-calico exaggeration of his finery, and imi-
tating his fancy Eastern graces as well as he '
could.
Digitized by VjOOQ IC



Pudd'nhead Wilson 51

Tom surrendered, and after that clothed himself
in the local fashion. But the dull country town was
tiresome to him, since his acquaintanceship with
livelier regions, and it grew daily more and more so.
He began to make little trips to St. Louis for re-
freshment. There he found companionship to suit -
him, and pleasures to his taste, along with more
freedom, in some particulars, than he could have at
home. So, during the next two years his visits to
the city grew in frequency and his tarryings there
grew steadily longer in duration. •

He was getting into deep waters. He was taking
chances, privately, which might get him into trouble
some day — in fact, did.
