kwardly into the presence of the
widow McVeigh.

"Ye're lookin' serious the night," she greeted, as she paused with her
knitting.

"I'm feeling that way, too," he conceded, sighing.

"Maybe ye're thinkin' o' the closeness o' yer leavin'?" she questioned.

"It's partly that," he admitted, sheepishly.

"Only partly, ye say. Fer shame, to let anythin' else be a part o'
such thoughts," she observed, somewhat severely.

"Now, granny, it is no use you being cross with me. I'm full of love
for you and the old place, and you know it," he expostulated. "There's
something else, all the same," he continued, with a forlorn pleading in
his voice.

"Then ye had better out wi' it, lad," she replied, giving him her whole
attention.

"It's about our Kate," he commenced.

"I thought as much. Ye go away an' get a plot o' land somewhere, an' a
bit o' a cabin, an' then ye come back pretendin' it was yer love fer
yer poor granny. But ye had other plans, which ye wouldn't tell till
ye were driven to it," Nancy interrupted, with a strange lack of
sympathy.

Her words aroused Will's latent passion, and drove him to a confession,
regardless of consequences.

"Katie an' I have been lovin' each other fer years, in fact, ever since
we were children. We made it up then that we should marry some day.
When I went West it was to earn enough money to buy a home fer us.
I've got a farm now, an' I can keep her. We've talked it over every
night fer a month, an' she's willin' to go if ye will give yer
consent," he burst out, earnestly.

Mistress McVeigh listened in silence, rocking her chair to and fro. As
the night became darker only her outline was visible to the youth, who
poured into her ears his love story with an unfettered tongue. He
talked rapidly of his plans, his chances and his faith in his ability
to maintain Katie Duncan as comfortably as she had been at the tavern.
When he had finished, Nancy called sharply to Katie, whom she rightly
guessed was not far away, to fetch a lamp. Katie obeyed with
commendable alacrity, and deposited it on the table. She had never
seemed so grown-up and pretty to her foster-parent as she did at that
moment.

"Katie," began Nancy, with ominous slowness, "Will has been tellin' me
that ye have been courtin' under me very nose. Do ye love him truly,
lass?"

"Yes, granny," the girl answered, almost defiantly.

"God bless ye, children. The sooner ye're married, then, the better,"
Nancy