men in your life, men who have fought and accomplished things and I've
been just an idler. You couldn't care for me now, but if you'll give
me half a chance I'll prove myself! I know I could do big things, too,
if I had you with me, and I--I love you most tremendously, dear! I've
cared ever since that very first night when you broke into Vernon's
game in that splendid fearless way and drove Cal Shirley out as a
cheat. I never saw a girl with such spirit and I've worshiped you more
and more! Willa, won't you let me go to my father and tell him it's
all right, that you will stay? He may not have found the Murdaugh
heiress in Limasito, but I'd like to tell him that he found my wife!"

Willa's eyes blurred and a rich color dyed her cheeks as she replied
softly:

"Dear Winnie! I'll always love you for this, and respect you, too,
even though what you suggest is impossible.--'Presumptuous'? You don't
know what a big, fine thing you just proved yourself capable of!" Her
voice was not quite steady. "Willa Murdaugh was eligible, even a
catch, I suppose, but now, when I am stripped of everything that counts
in your world and nothing is left me but a past which would bar me from
polite society if I tried to batter down its prejudices alone, you
offer to brave its opinion, to give me the greatest thing a man can
give to a woman. It's splendid of you! I--I can't tell you how
wonderful it seems to feel that there are still men like you in the
world. But, Winnie, I couldn't marry you! I'm awfully fond of you,
but not in that way and one of the things I couldn't accept in the
creed of your world would be to marry a man I didn't love. Even if I
did care, I don't believe that I could bring myself to accept your
sacrifice, but I shall never forget your generosity."

"Don't, please!" Winnie thrust out his hand in a passionate gesture of
negation. "The generosity would have been on your part and the
sacrifice, too! What does it matter who your own people were? You are
yourself, the bravest, finest, truest girl in all the world! I knew
you couldn't care, but, oh, I hoped that if there was no one else you
would try to like me enough to give me an opportunity of proving to you
that I could make you happy anyway. I would be so awfully good to you,
and so proud! It is you who would be giving all, not me, and I should
try all the rest of my life to be worthy of you. Willa, dearest, won't
you think it over, and let me come