and kissed him.

The Harvester held the door.

"Can I be of any service?" he inquired.

"No, I'm no helpless child."

"Then to my best wishes for sound sleep the remainder of the night, I
will add this," said the Harvester----"You may rest in peace concerning
your dear girl. I sympathize with your anxiety. Good night!"

Alexander Herron threw out his hands in protest.

"I wouldn't mind admitting that you are a gentleman in a month or two,"
he said, "but it's a demnation humiliation to have it literally wrung
from me to-night!"

He banged the door in the face of the amazed Harvester, who turned
to the Girl as she leaned against the mantel. He stood absorbing the
glowing picture of beauty and health that she made. She had removed her
travelling dress and shoes, and was draped in a fleecy white wool kimono
and wearing night slippers. Her hair hung in two big braids as it had
during her illness. She was his sick girl again in costume, but radiant
health glowed on her lovely face. The Harvester touched a match to a few
candles and turned out the acetylene lights. Then he stood before her.

"Now, bluebird," he said gently. "Ruth, you always know where to find
me, if you will look at your feet. I thought I loved you all in my power
when you went, but absence has taught its lessons. One is that I can
grow to love you more every day I live, and the other that I probably
trifled with the highest gift you had to offer, when I sent you away.
I may have been right; Granny and Doc think I was wrong. You know the
answer. You said there was another kiss for me. Ruth, is it the same or
a different one?"

"It is different. Quite, quite different!"

"And when?" The Harvester stretched out longing arms. The Girl stepped
back.

"I don't know," she said. "I had it when I started, but I lost it on the
way."

The Harvester staggered under the disappointment.

"Ruth, this has gone far enough that you wouldn't play with me, merely
for the sake of seeing me suffer, would you?"

"No!" cried the Girl. "No! I mean it! I knew just what I wanted to say
when I started; but we had to take grandmother out of bed. She wouldn't
allow me to leave her, and I wouldn't stay away from you any longer. She
fainted when we put her on the car and grandfather went wild. He almost
killed the porters, and he raved at me. He said my mother had ruined
their lives, and now I would be their death. I got so frightened I had a
nervous chill and I'm so afr