ed heart of the fire, giving free rein to fancy.

So, she thought and said, men and women had sat in the dim, forgotten
nights of the world, when the Red Flower first bloomed on the rude
hearts of cave and forest and beside the lone beaches of dead seas.
Angus laughed at her fancies, but in his own heart the spell of gut and
string and fire stirred something, too; and when the winds soughed
around the cottage and strained through the tree-tops he found himself
listening subconsciously for he knew not what.

"You are a dreamer, too," Faith accused him.

"I will be in about ten minutes."

"You might as well 'fess up. I wonder if you and I ever sat before a
fire in a cave, together?"

"I don't remember it, myself."

"Oh, you may laugh, but it seems real to me--to-night. The wind in the
trees is like the hiss and roar of squall-swept seas. I can hear other
things, too--the soft padding of feet, and heavy, grunting, snuffling
breaths. That is the tiger or the great cave bear. But they can't get
in, because you have rolled the stone against the mouth of our cave."

"Suppose I forgot it?"

"Then to pay for your carelessness, you would have to fight old Sabre
Tooth. You would fight to the death for me, wouldn't you?"

"And for myself."

"Be gallant, please."

"Cave men weren't gallant. They walloped ladies with clubs and abducted
them."

"Happy thought. You have abducted me. No, not that, either, because I
was never anybody's but yours. But there is a very great warrior who is
trying to take me from you."

"The old warrior sure has some nerve. What am I doing about that time?"

"You fight," she told him, her eyes on the heart of the fire, "while I
stand by praying to the unknown God that you may kill him. And you do
kill him. And then you set your foot on his body and shake your war club
on high and shout a great wild song to the stars. Oh, I can see you now!
There is blood on your face, and the club is dripping with it, and I can
hear the fierce song!"

"I'll bet the singing is fierce, too," Angus commented. But to his
surprise she was trembling in his arms, every nerve aquiver. "What the
dickens! Old girl, you're shaking! There now, that's plenty of that
nonsense. It isn't good for sleeping."

For a moment she clung to him. "I'm awfully silly. But somehow it
seemed real--to-night. I wonder if it ever did happen?"

"Of course not."

"Well, it's funny. I was just making it up. And then suddenly I felt
th