st some stone wall. So there she sat, her
eyes now upon that inexorable blank sheet that lay before her, waiting,
and now turned with vacant hopelessness upon the sundry objects in the
room. And while she thus sat accomplishing nothing, opposite to her the
black head bent down, and the steady pen moved from phrase to phrase.

She became aware of his gazing at her, flushed and solemn. That strange
color of the sea-water, which she could never name, was lustrous in his
eyes. He was folding his letter.

"You have finished?" she said.

"Yes." His voice was very quiet. "I feel like an honester man."

"Perhaps I can do something to-night at Mrs. Taylor's," she said,
looking at her paper.

On it were a few words crossed out. This was all she had to show. At
this set task in letter-writing, the cow-puncher had greatly excelled
the schoolmarm!

But that night, while he lay quite fast asleep in his bed, she was
keeping vigil in her room at Mrs. Taylor's.

Accordingly, the next day, those three letters departed for the mail,
and Mrs. Taylor consequently made her exclamation, "It's come!"

On the day before the Virginian returned to take up his work at Judge
Henry's ranch, he and Molly announced their news. What Molly said to
Mrs. Taylor and what Mrs. Taylor said to her, is of no interest to us,
though it was of much to them.

But Mr. McLean happened to make a call quite early in the morning to
inquire for his friend's health.

"Lin," began the Virginian, "there is no harm in your knowing an hour or
so before the rest, I am--"

"Lord!" said Mr. McLean, indulgently. "Everybody has knowed that since
the day she found yu' at the spring."

"It was not so, then," said the Virginian, crossly.

"Lord! Everybody has knowed it right along."

"Hmp!" said the Virginian. "I didn't know this country was that rank
with gossips."

Mr. McLean laughed mirthfully at the lover. "Well," he said, "Mrs.
McLean will be glad. She told me to give yu' her congratulations quite
a while ago. I was to have 'em ready just as soon as ever yu' asked for
'em yourself." Lin had been made a happy man some twelve months previous
to this. And now, by way of an exchange of news, he added: "We're
expectin' a little McLean down on Box Elder. That's what you'll be
expectin' some of these days, I hope."

"Yes," murmured the Virginian, "I hope so too."

"And I don't guess," said Lin, "that you and I will do much shufflin' of
other folks' children any m