the agonized appeal that emanated from the man's whole
being, she leaned forward and laid her lips on his. Once, twice and
again she heard the deep respirations rattle in his throat while
she held them there, and the riotous force under her head became
an engulfing weakness. He drew her up to him until he felt all the
resistance go out of her body, until every nerve relaxed and yielded.
When she drew her face back from his, it was white with fear.

"Let us go down, oh, my God! let us go down!" she muttered. And the
drunken stars up yonder seemed reeling to some appointed doom as she
clung to the rounds of the ladder. All that she was to know of love she
had left upon his lips.

"The devil is loose again," whispered Olaf Oleson, as he saw Eric
dancing a moment later, his eyes blazing.

But Eric was thinking with an almost savage exultation of the time when
he should pay for this. Ah, there would be no quailing then! if ever a
soul went fearlessly, proudly down to the gates infernal, his should go.
For a moment he fancied he was there already, treading down the tempest
of flame, hugging the fiery hurricane to his breast. He wondered whether
in ages gone, all the countless years of sinning in which men had sold
and lost and flung their souls away, any man had ever so cheated Satan,
had ever bartered his soul for so great a price.

It seemed but a little while till dawn.

The carriage was brought to the door and Wyllis Elliot and his sister
said goodbye. She could not meet Eric's eyes as she gave him her hand,
but as he stood by the horse's head, just as the carriage moved off, she
gave him one swift glance that said, "I will not forget." In a moment
the carriage was gone.

Eric changed his coat and plunged his head into the water tank and went
to the barn to hook up his team. As he led his horses to the door, a
shadow fell across his path, and he saw Skinner rising in his stirrups.
His rugged face was pale and worn with looking after his wayward flock,
with dragging men into the way of salvation.

"Good morning, Eric. There was a dance here last night?" he asked,
sternly.

"A dance? Oh, yes, a dance," replied Eric, cheerfully.

"Certainly you did not dance, Eric?"

"Yes, I danced. I danced all the time."

The minister's shoulders drooped, and an expression of profound
discouragement settled over his haggard face. There was almost anguish
in the yearning he felt for this soul.

"Eric, I didn't look for this f