pon a
ferry.

He lifted her and the act to him was as though he had condensed a
thousand kisses into one. He walked slowly. This was a brief span
into which to crowd a lifetime of love. In the middle of the brook he
stopped--just a second, to mark the beginning of the end--and then went
on again. When he set her down he was breathing heavily. She had
become a bit self-conscious. Her cheeks were aflame.

Her low black shoes with their big silk bows tied pertly below her trim
ankles were a goodly sight to see against the green grass as he might
have observed had he looked at them at all. But he did n't. He wiped
his moist forehead as though, instead of a dainty armful, she had been
a burden.

She shook the wrinkles from her skirt and looked up at him laughing.
Then she frowned.

"Mr. Donaldson," she scolded, "you walked across there with your shoes
and stockings on."

"Why, that's so," he exclaimed, looking down at his water-logged shoes
as though in as great surprise as she herself.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," he answered helplessly.

"You ought to spread them out in the sun to dry."

"You can't spread out shoes, can you? Besides we have n't time. We
must hurry right on. Right on, this minute," he added as the motherly
concern in her face set his throat to aching again.

With the stride of a pioneer he led off, praying that they might not
find in their path another brook. For a stretch of a mile, he pressed
on without once looking around, taking a faster pace than he realized.
The course was a fairly smooth one over an acre or so of pasture,
through a strip of oak woods, and up a stiff slope. It was not until
he reached the top of this that he paused. He looked around and saw
her about halfway up the hill, climbing heavily, her eyes upon the
ground. Even as he watched her, he saw her sway, catch herself, and
push on again without even looking up. It was the act of a woman
almost exhausted. He reached her side in a couple of strides. He
tried to take her arm but she broke free of him and in a final spurt
reached the top of the hill and threw herself upon the ground to catch
her breath.

"I did n't realize how fast I was going," he apologized kneeling by her
side. "That was unpardonable, but why did n't you call to me?"

She removed her hat. Then she leaned back upon her hands until she
could speak evenly. A light breeze loosened a brown curl and played
with