tle tore the words from her lips. She glanced up,
startled, to see Vil Holland take his fingers from his teeth. She
followed his gaze, and a block away, in front of the wooden
post-office, saw the Reverend Len Christie whirl in his tracks. The
cowboy motioned him to wait, and taking the girl gently by the arm,
turned her about, and together they walked toward the "Bishop of All
Outdoors," who awaited them with twinkling eyes.

"It's about the school, I presume," he greeted. "Everything is all
arranged, Miss Sinclair. You may assume your duties to-morrow."

"If I was you, Len," replied Vil Holland, dryly, "I wouldn't go
bettin' much on that presoomer of yours--it ain't workin' just right,
an' Miss Sinclair has decided to assoom her duties to-day. So, havin'
disposed of presoom, an' assoom, we'll rezoom, as you'd say if you was
dealin' from the pulpit, an' if you ain't got anything more important
on your mind, we'll just walk over to the church an' get married."

The Reverend Len Christie regarded his friend solemnly. "I didn't
think it of you, Vil--when I bragged to you yesterday about the
excellent teacher I'd got--I didn't think you would slip right out and
get her away from me!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry! Really, Mr. Christie, I didn't mean to disappoint
you in this way, at the last minute----"

"Don't you go wastin' any sympathy on that old renegade," cut in Vil.

"That's right," laughed Christie, noting the genuine concern in the
girl's eyes. "As a matter of fact, I have in mind a substitute who
will be tickled to death to learn that she is to have the regular
position. Didn't I tell you out at the Samuelsons' that I had a hunch
you'd make your strike before school time? Of course, everyone knows
that Vil is the one who made the real strike, but you'll find that the
claim you've staked isn't so bad, and that after you get down through
the surface, you will run onto a whole lot of pure gold."

Patty who had been regarding him with a slightly puzzled expression
suddenly caught his allusion, and she smiled happily into the face of
her cowboy. "I've already found pure gold," she said, "and it lies
mighty close to the surface."

In the little church after the hastily summoned witnesses had
departed, the Reverend Len Christie stood holding a hand of each.
"Never in my life have I performed a clerical office that gave me so
much genuine happiness and satisfaction," he announced.

"Me, neither," assented Vil Holland, hea