ey_!"

Valeria had listened in motionless amazement. But he had now paused,
almost choking with his rush of emotion, his excitement, his sense of
triumph, and straight ensued a certain reluctance, a dull negation, a
prophetic recoil from responsibility that clogged his resolve. His eyes
roved uncertainly about the familiar domestic scene, darkening now,
duskily purple beneath the luminous pearly and roseate tints of the
twilight sky. The old woman was a-drowse on the porch of the rickety
little log-cabin beneath the gourd vines, the paralytic grandfather came
hirpling unsteadily through the doorway on his supporting crutch, his
pipe shaking in his shaking hand, while he muttered and mumbled to
himself--who knows what?--whether of terror of the future, or regret for
the past, or doubt and despair of to-day. The place was obviously so
meagre, so poverty-bitten, so eloquent of the hard struggle for mere
existence. If it had been necessary for Brent Kayle to put his hand to
the plow in its behalf the words would never have been spoken--but "good
money" for this idle trade, these facile pranks!

"Vallie," he said impulsively, "I'm going ter try it--ef ye'll go with
me. Ef ye war along I'd feel heartened ter stand up an' face the crowd
in a strange place. I always loved ye better than any of the other
gals--shucks!--whenst _ye_ war about I never knowed ez they war alive."

Perhaps it was the after-glow of the sunset in the sky, but a crimson
flush sprang into her delicate cheek; her eyes were evasive, quickly
glancing here and there with an affectation of indifference, and she had
no mind to talk of love, she declared.

But she should think of her gran'dad and gran'mam, he persisted. How had
she the heart to deprive them of his willing aid? He declared he had
intended to ask her to marry him anyhow, for she had always seemed to
like him--she could not deny this--but now was the auspicious
time--to-morrow--while the circus was in Shaftesville, and "good money"
was to be had to provide for the wants of her old grandparents.

Though Valeria had flouted the talk of love she seemed his partisan when
she confided the matter to the two old people and their consent was
accorded rather for her sake than their own. They felt a revivifying
impetus in the thought that after their death Valeria would have a good
husband to care for her, for to them the chief grief of their loosening
hold on life was her inheritance of their helplessne