told her
that his picture of young Gardley's wildness was probably true, and her
soul sank within her at the thought. It was just what had come in
shadowy, instinctive fear to her heart when he had hinted at his being a
"roughneck," yet to have it put baldly into words by an enemy hurt her
deeply, and she looked at herself in the glass half frightened.
"Margaret Earle, have you come out to the wilderness to lose your heart
to the first handsome sower of wild oats that you meet?" her true eyes
asked her face in the glass, and Margaret Earle's heart turned sad at
the question and shrank back. Then she dropped upon her knees beside her
gay little rocking-chair and buried her face in its flowered cushions
and cried to her Father in heaven:

"Oh, my Father, let me not be weak, but with all my heart I cry to Thee
to save this young, strong, courageous life and not let it be a failure.
Help him to find Thee and serve Thee, and if his life has been all
wrong--and I suppose it has--oh, make it right for Jesus' sake! If there
is anything that I can do to help, show me how, and don't let me make
mistakes. Oh, Jesus, Thy power is great. Let this young man feel it and
yield himself to it."

She remained silently praying for a moment more, putting her whole soul
into the prayer and knowing that she had been called thus to pray for
him until her prayer was answered.

She came down to dinner a few minutes later with a calm, serene face, on
which was no hint of her recent emotion, and she managed to keep the
table conversation wholly in her own hands, telling Mr. Tanner about her
home town and her father and mother. When the meal was finished the
minister had no excuse to think that the new teacher was careless about
her friends and associates, and he was well informed about the high
principles of her family.

But West had retired into a sulky mood and uttered not a word except to
ask for more chicken and coffee and a second helping of pie. It was,
perhaps, during that dinner that he decided it would be best for him to
preach in Ashland on the following Sunday. The young lady could be
properly impressed with his dignity in no other way.

CHAPTER XII

When Lance Gardley came back to the Tanners' the sun was preparing the
glory of its evening setting, and the mountain was robed in all its
rosiest veils.

Margaret was waiting for him, with the dog Captain beside her, wandering
back and forth in the unfenced dooryard and wa