He had no intention of `` walking in and hanging up his hat '' -- or trying to . Romantic as he was , it never occurred to him that Mattie might be as romantic as himself . She did not care for him , and anyhow he , Jed , had a little too much pride to ask her , a rich woman , to marry him , a poor man who had lost all caste he ever possessed by taking up tin-peddling . Jed was determined not to `` persoom . '' And , oh , how deliciously romantic it all was ! He hugged himself with sorrowful delight over it . As the summer waned and the long yellow leaves began to fall thickly from the willows in the Adams lane Jed began to talk of going out west again . Tin-peddling was not possible in winter , and he did n't think he would try it another summer . Mattie listened with dismay in her heart . All summer she had made much of Jed , by way of tormenting Selena . But now she realized what he really meant to her . The old love had wakened to life in her heart ; she could not let Jed go out of her life again , leaving her to the old loneliness . If Jed went away everything would be flat , stale , and unprofitable . She knew him to be at heart the kindest , most gentle of human beings , and the mere fact of his having been unsuccessful , even what some of his old neighbours might call stupid , did not change her feelings toward him in the least . He was Jed -- that was sufficient for her , and she had business capability enough for both , when it came to that . Mattie began to drop hints . But Jed would not take them . True , once or twice he thought that perhaps Mattie did care a little for him yet . But it would not do for him to take advantage of that . `` No , I just could n't do that , '' he told the pony .
`` I worship the ground that XXXXX treads on , but it ai n't for the likes of me to tell her so , not now .
delight everything intention leaves life love neighbours summer winter woman