er eyes before he saw her.
Sleep took instant wings. He sprang up.

"I knew you'd come! I told Sheelah! When anybody promises, they--
Come on quick up-stairs! I can unlace myself, but I'd rather--"

"Yes, yes!" she sobbed.

"And we'll have a lark, won't we? You said a lark; but not the
reg'larest kind--I don't suppose we could have the reg'larest kind?"

"Yes--yes!"

"Oh!--why!" His eyes shone. He put up his hand, then drew it shyly
back. If she would only take out the pins herself--if he only dared
to--

"What is it, Little Silly--darling?" They were up in his room. She
had her cheek against his little, bare, brown knees. It brought her
soft, gold-colored hair so near--if he only dared--

"What is it you'd like, little son?" And he took courage. She had
never called him Little Son before. It made him brave enough.

"I thought--the reg'larest kind--your hair--if you'd let it tumble
all down, I'd--hide in it," he breathed, his knees against her cheek
trembling like little frightened things.

It fell about him in a soft shower and he hid in it and laughed.
Sheelah heard them laughing together.

Chapter IX

The Little Lover

"I wish I knew for very certain," the Little Lover murmured,
wistfully. The licorice-stick was so shiny and black, and he had laid
his tongue on it one sweet instant, so he knew just how good it
tasted. If he only knew for very certain--of course there was a
chance that She did not love licorice sticks. It would be a regular
pity to waste it. Still, how could anybody _not_ love 'em--

"'Course She does!" exclaimed the Little Lover, with sudden
conviction, and the struggle was ended. It had only been a question
of Her liking or not liking. That decided, there was no further
hesitation. He held up the licorice-stick and traced a wavery little
line round it with his finger-nail. The line was pretty near one of
its ends--the end towards the Little Lover's mouth.

"I'll suck as far down as that, just 'xactly," he said; "then I'll
put it away in the Treasury Box."

He sat down in his little rocker and gave himself up to the moment's
bliss, first applying his lips with careful exactitude to the
dividing-line between Her licorice stick and his.

The moment of bliss ended, the Little Lover got out the Treasury Box
and added the moist, shortened licorice-stick to the other treasures
in it. There were many of them,--an odd assortment that would have
made any one else smile. But the L