gasps, and looked into his sober, questioning face; then
she turned again and picked up one web-like stocking and held it
against her cheek, as hotly tinted now beneath its smooth whiteness as
the shining scarlet cloth beside her.

He heard her murmur to herself little, broken, incoherent phrases that
he could not catch.

"Denny," he heard her whisper, "Denny--Denny!"

And then, with the tiny slippers huddled in her lap, her hands flashed
out and caught his face and drew it down against the too-small white
blouse, open at the throat.

"Man--man," she said, and he felt her breast rise and fall, rise and
fall, against his cheek. "Man, you didn't understand! It--it wasn't
the clothes, Denny, but--but I'm all the gladder, I think, because
you're so much of a man that you couldn't, not even if I tried a
hundred years to explain."

He drew the chair at the side of the table around in front of her and
dropped into it. With a care akin to reverence he lifted one slipper
and held it outstretched at arm's length upon his broad palm.

"I--I hadn't exactly forgotten, tonight," he told her. "I'd watched
for the light, and I meant to bring them--when I came." His steady
eyes dropped to her slim, swinging feet. "They're the smallest they
had in any shop at the county-seat," he went on, and the slow smile
came creeping back across his face. "I crossed over through the timber
late last night, after we had broken camp, and I--I had to guess the
size. Shall we--try them on?"

She reached out and snatched the small thing of satin and leather away
from him with mock jealous impetuosity, a little reckless gurgle of
utter delight breaking from her lips.

"Over these," she demanded, lifting one foot and pointing at the
thickly patched old stocking above the dingy, string-tied shoe.
"You--you are trying to shame me, Denny--you want to make me confess
they are too small!"

Then, almost in the same breath, all the facetious accusation left her
face. Even the warm glow of wonder which had lighted her wet eyes gave
way to a new seriousness.

"No one has ever told me," she stated slowly, "but I know it is so,
just the same. Somehow, because it was to be the first party I had
ever attended--or--or had a chance to attend, I thought it must be all
right, just once, for you to buy me these. There was no one else to
buy them, Denny, and maybe I wanted to go so very much I made myself
believe that it was all right. But there isn't any party n