"

Little do we know when our present world will end. A day came when Dom
Francisco, the cattle king, whose herds by popular account were as the
sands of the desert, asked in marriage the hand of Natalie.

As, toward evening, Lewis headed his flock for home, he saw in the
distance a pillar of dust. It came rapidly to him. From it emerged
Natalie on her pony. She jumped down, slipped the reins over her arm,
and joined him.

"You have come far and fast," he said, glancing at the sweating pony.
"Is anything the matter?"

"No," said Natalie, hesitatingly, and then repeated--"no. I've just come
to talk to you."

For some time they walked in silence behind the great herd of nervous
goats, which occasionally stopped to pasture, but more often scampered
ahead till a call from Lewis checked them. Natalie laid her hand on the
sleeve of Lewis's leather coat, a gesture with which she was wont to
claim his close attention.

"Lew," she said, "what is marriage?"

Lewis turned and looked down at her. They were both seventeen, but his
inch start of her had grown to half a foot.

"Marriage? Why, marriage----" He stopped. A faint color flared in his
cheeks. He looked away from her. Then he said calmly: "Marriage, Nat, is
just mating--like birds mate. First you see them flying about anyhow;
then two fly together. They build a nest; they mate; they have little
birds. The little birds grow up and do the whole thing over again.
That's--that's marriage."

"So?" said Natalie. A little frown came to her brows. Was that marriage,
indeed? Then she shook the frown from her. "Lew," she said gravely, but
placidly, "they tell me I'm to marry Dom Francisco. Isn't it--isn't it
_funny_?"

Lewis stopped in his tracks and shook her hand from his arm. His eyes
flared.

"What did you say? They tell you--_who_ told you?"

"Why, Lew!" cried Natalie, tears in her eyes and her lips twitching.

"There, there, Nat," said Lewis, softly. He laid his arm across her
shoulders in an awkward gesture of affection. "Tell me, Nat. Who was it
told you--told you that?"

"Father," sobbed Natalie.

Before she knew what he was doing, Lew had leaped upon her pony and was
off at a gallop.

"Lew!" cried Natalie, "Lew! Shall I bring in the goats?"

He did not heed her.

CHAPTER IX

Lewis stopped at Nadir only long enough to learn that the Reverend Orme
had remained at the school-house as had been his wont of late. He found
him there, idle, sitting