ife, to live together after
God's ordinance, in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love
her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and,
forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall
live?'"

She looked at him and laughed.

"Why don't you answer?"

"Now?"

"Yes--that's the end of the question. Say, `I will.'"

"Oh, I will all right! What scares me is that I'll jump in on him and
say `I will' before he gets halfway through. Seems to me when he says,
`Wilt thou have this woman to be thy wedded wife?' I'll just have to
choke myself there to keep from saying, `You bet your life I will,
Parson!'"

"It won't hurt anything if you say, `I will' several times," she assured
him.

"It wouldn't queer the job?"

"Not in the least. I've often heard them say, `I will' two or three
times. Wait until you hear the words, `so long as ye both shall
live----'"

"`So long as ye both shall live,'" he repeated solemnly.

"The other speech you say after the minister."

"He won't bite off more than I can chew at one time, will he?"

"No, silly--just a few words----"

"Because if he does, I'll choke."

Jim drew his watch again, mopped his brow, and gazed at Mary's serene
face with wonder.

"Say, Kiddo, you're immense--you're as cool as a cucumber!"

"Of course. Why not? It's my day of joy and perfect peace--the day I've
dreamed of since the dawn of maidenhood. I'm marrying the man of
my choice--the one man God made for me of all men on earth. I know
this--I'm content."

"Let me hang around here till time--won't you?" he asked helplessly.

"We must have Ella come back to fix the table."

"Sure. I just didn't want her to hear me tell you that I had cold feet.
I'm better now."

Ella moved about the room with soft tread, watching Jim with sullen,
concentrated gaze when he was not looking.

The lovers sat on the couch beside the window, holding each other's
hands and watching in silence the hurrying crowds pass below. Now that
his panic was over, Jim began to breathe more freely, and the time
swiftly passed.

As the shadows slowly fell, they rang the bell at the parson's house
beside the church, and his good wife ushered them into the parlor. The
little Craddocks crowded in--six of them, two girls and four boys, their
ages ranging from five to nineteen.

Sweet memories crowded the girl's heart from her happy childhood. She
had never missed one of these affairs at home