ll close at hand.

"Alexander," he said, with his heart in his eyes, "ye're ther purtiest
gal I ever seed--ther purtiest gal I reckon anybody ever seed."

The tease in her came to the surface. "Another feller likened me ter a
comet amongst small stars, Jerry."

"I reckon I kin hazard a guess who thet feller war," he answered
soberly. "There's only one man hyarabouts thet's got a gift of speech
like thet. Myself, I don't like ter think of ye as a comet, Alexander,
they're so plum outen reach."

She did not reply and Jerry went on. "An' yit mebby he's right--I
reckon thet's jest another reason for likenin' ye ter one--an' I reckon
he knows, too, thet he flames right bright hisself."

The girl lifted her brows questioningly and Jerry went on.

"Hit's right hard fer me ter think erbout anything else. He stands
betwixt me an' you an' he bulks so big thet he's kinderly hard ter git
eround."

Alexander was sitting on the mossy rock, her eyes wandering off across
the far-flung landscape. Now their gaze came back, recalled by
something wistful in her companion's voice, and it occurred to her that
this man himself would have towered above the generality.

"Ye're a right sizable sort of feller yore own self, Jerry," she
reminded him and he laughed a shade bitterly. It was a very unusual
thing for bitterness to tingle Jerry's voice, and it augured a bruised
heart.

"I'm big amongst leetle fellers," he replied. "But along side him, I'm
a runt."

"Ef he's got some thing ye hain't got, like es not, hit wucks t'other
way round too. Ye're strong enough an' ye've got gentleness."

Jerry leaned forward to her. His voice trembled and his eyes broke
into a sudden snap of flame.

"Alexander--ye knows ther way I loves ye. Ye kain't fathom ther full
extent of hit all, but ye knows some small part of hit. Ye're good ter
me--but when a man feels like I does towards you, thar hain't but one
sort of goodness thet counts. I knows thet I cuts a sorry sort of
figger alongside him, an' I hes ter fight myself day-long an'
night-long ter keep from hatin' him fer hit. I hain't no Goliath outen
ther Bible, but after all a right puny leetle feller took his measure."

He paused for an instant then swept feelingly on. "I wants ye ter
answer me one question. Air hit jest because he's so monster big an'
fine-looking thet ye thinks he's a piece of ther moon?"

"I hain't nuver said I thought he was," she interrupted, but Jerry
s