ittle person," he murmured. "Lord,
Lord--and yet they say the day of miracles is past."

"You didn't think I would, did you?" she asked, with her blushing face
snuggled against his sturdy breast. "Still, you gave me a map so that
I could find the place?"

"That was just taking a desperate chance. No, I never expected to see
you again, unless by accident," he said honestly. "And I've been
crying the hurt of it to the stars all the way back from the coast. I
only got here yesterday. I pretty near passed up coming back at all.
I didn't see how I could stay, with everything to remind me of you.
Say, but it looked like a lonesome hole. I used to love this
place--but I didn't love it last night. It seemed about the most
cheerless and depressing spot I could have picked. I think I should
have ended up by touching a match to the whole business and hitting the
trail to some new country. I don't know. I'm not weak. But I don't
think I could have stayed here long."

They stood silent in the doorway for a long interval, Bill holding her
close to him, and she blissfully contented, careless and unthinking of
the future, so filled was she with joy of the present.

"Do you love me much, little person?" Bill asked, after a little.

She nodded vigorous assent.

"Why?" he desired to know.

"Oh, just because--because you're a man, I suppose," she returned
mischievously.

"The world's chuck-full of men," Bill observed.

"Surely," she looked up at him. "But they're not like you. Maybe it's
bad policy to start in flattering you, but there aren't many men of
your type, Billy-boy; big and strong and capable, and at the same time
kind and patient and able to understand things, things a woman can't
always put into words. Last fall you hurt my pride and nearly scared
me to death by carrying me off in that lawless, headlong fashion of
yours. But you seemed to know just how I felt about it, and you played
fairer than any man I ever knew would have done under the same
circumstances. I didn't realize it until I got back into the civilized
world. And then all at once I found myself longing for you--and for
these old forests and the mountains and all. So I came back."

"Wise girl," he kissed her. "You'll never be sorry, I hope. It took
some nerve, too. It's a long trail from here to the outside. But this
North country--it gets in your blood--if your blood's red--and I don't
think there's any water in your veins, little