de i-dum," he sang, coming feet down, finally.

Evidently the bad boy's language had been corrupted by his street
_confreres_; it was a missionary ground upon which Sallie entered, more
or less faithfully, every day to hoe and weed; but of this last
specimen-plant she took no notice, save to laugh as Jim, catching him
up, first kissed him, then gave him a shake and a small spank, and,
thrusting a piece of currency into his hand, whisked him outside the
door with a "Come, shaver, decamp, and treat yourself to-day," and had
it shut and fastened in a twinkling.

"O Jim!" she cried then, her soul in her handsome eyes.

"O Sallie!"--and he had her fast and tight once more.

An ineffable blank, punctuated liberally with sounding exclamation
points, and strongly marked periods,--though how or why a blank should
be punctuated at all, only blissful lovers could possibly define.

"Jim, dear Jim!" whispering it, and snuggling her blushing face closer
to the faded blue, "can you love me after all that has happened?"

"Come now! _can_ I love you, my beauty? Slightly, I should think. O, te,
te, di di, idde i-dum,"--singing Frank's little song with his big, gay
voice,--"I'm happy as a king."

Happy as a king, that was plain enough. And what shall be said of her,
as he sat down, and, resting the wounded leg--stiff and sore yet,--held
Sallie on his other knee,--then fell to admiring her while she stroked
his mustache and his crisp, curling hair, looking at both and at him
altogether with an expression of contented adoration in her eyes.

Frank, tired of prowling round the door, candy in hand, here thrust his
head in at the window, and, unfortunately for his plans, sneezed.
"Mutual-admiration society!" he cried at that, seeing that he was
detected in any case, and running away,--his run spoiled as soon as it
began.

"We are a handsome couple," laughed Jim, holding back her face between
both hands,--"ain't we, now?"

Yes, they were,--no mistake about that, handsome as pictures.

And merry as birds, through all of his short stay. They would see no
danger in the future: Jim had been scathed in time past so often, yet
come out safe and sound, that they would have no fear for what was to
befall him in time to come. If they had, neither showed it to the other.
Jim thought, "Sallie would break her heart, if she knew just what is
down there,--so it would be a pity to talk about it"; and Sallie
thought, "It's right for Jim to go, and