Dede and to be on comradely terms with her;
but the desire and the need for her increased. The more he knew of her,
the higher was his appraisal. Had she been reserved and haughty with
him, or been merely a giggling, simpering creature of a woman, it would
have been different. Instead, she amazed him with her simplicity and
wholesomeness, with her great store of comradeliness. This latter was
the unexpected. He had never looked upon woman in that way. Woman,
the toy; woman, the harpy; woman, the necessary wife and mother of the
race's offspring,--all this had been his expectation and understanding
of woman. But woman, the comrade and playfellow and joyfellow--this
was what Dede had surprised him in. And the more she became worth
while, the more ardently his love burned, unconsciously shading his
voice with caresses, and with equal unconsciousness flaring up signal
fires in his eyes. Nor was she blind to it yet, like many women before
her, she thought to play with the pretty fire and escape the consequent
conflagration.

"Winter will soon be coming on," she said regretfully, and with
provocation, one day, "and then there won't be any more riding."

"But I must see you in the winter just the same," he cried hastily.

She shook her head.

"We have been very happy and all that," she said, looking at him with
steady frankness. "I remember your foolish argument for getting
acquainted, too; but it won't lead to anything; it can't. I know myself
too well to be mistaken."

Her face was serious, even solicitous with desire not to hurt, and her
eyes were unwavering, but in them was the light, golden and
glowing--the abyss of sex into which he was now unafraid to gaze.

"I've been pretty good," he declared. "I leave it to you if I haven't.
It's been pretty hard, too, I can tell you. You just think it over.
Not once have I said a word about love to you, and me loving you all
the time. That's going some for a man that's used to having his own
way. I'm somewhat of a rusher when it comes to travelling. I reckon
I'd rush God Almighty if it came to a race over the ice. And yet I
didn't rush you. I guess this fact is an indication of how much I do
love you. Of course I want you to marry me. Have I said a word about
it, though? Nary a chirp, nary a flutter. I've been quiet and good,
though it's almost made me sick at times, this keeping quiet. I
haven't asked you to marry me. I'm not asking you now. Oh, not but