s hand went up and held her silent.

"You don't need to say nothing, Jess," he said in his mildest tone.
"You don't need to, sure. Whatever you are, you're all the world to
me--jest all."

With a sudden cry the woman's head dropped upon her outspread arms,
and the merciful tears, so long denied her, gushed forth. Her body
heaved, and it seemed to the distraught man that her poor heart must
be breaking. He did not know what those tears meant to her. He did not
know that the victory of his love was very, very near. Only he saw her
bowed in passionate distress, and he had no thought of how to comfort
her.

He waited, waited. But the flood once broken loose must needs spend
itself. Such is the way with women, of whom he had so small an
understanding. He turned away to the window. He stared with unseeing
eyes at the fair picture of the beautiful valley. The moments
passed--long, dreary moments rapidly changing to minutes. And then at
last the storm began to die down, and he turned again towards her and
drew a step nearer.

"Jess--Jess," he murmured.

Then he took another hesitating step.

But his words seemed to have started her tears afresh, and into his
eyes came that painful perplexity again.

Again he ventured, and his step this time brought him close to her
side.

"Jess, gal--Jess," he pleaded, with infinite tenderness.

And as the woman continued to sob he stole one arm gently about her
waist. She made no move. Only her shaking body calmed, and her tears
became more silent.

He strove to draw her towards him, but she clung to the bed-rail with
almost child-like persistence, as though she dared not permit herself
the hope his encircling arms inspired. But she had not rebuffed him,
so with some assertion he thrust his other arm about her, and,
exerting force, deliberately turned her towards him.

"Say, don't you to cry, lass," he whispered softly. "Don't you, now.
It jest makes me sore right through. It jest makes me feel all of a
choke, an'--an' I want to cry, too. Say, gal, I love you good. I do,
Jess--I sure do. Ther' ain't nothin' in the world I wouldn't do to
stop them tears. Come to home, gal--come to home."

And as he finished speaking he drew her dark head down to his breast,
and laid his thin cheek against her wealth of hair. And, pressing her
to the home that was for all time hers, his own eyes filled with tears
which slowly rolled down his cheeks and mingled themselves with hers.

CHAPT