uspended from a rhinestone dove very near to her breast-bone.
"Steve give me that when we was first engaged," she explained, and Alice
smiled indulgently. "He give me my bracelet for Christmas, and all his
friends give me bangles." She jingled the thing proudly as she spoke.
"There's thirty-four of 'em."

"Thirty-four friends! He must be a popular man!" said Alice.

"O, he is, awful. And he's the handsomest! You just ought to see him."

"The garment of praise is settling into place without a wrinkle,"
thought Alice. "I hope she won't take it all, for I may need a corner of
it myself, to console me for this abominable bag, and the tinkle of that
bracelet. I suppose she would think it was finer than the jade one Mrs.
Langdon gave me. And I wonder what she would think if she knew my
necklace was under my dress, so it wouldn't show in travelling. O, well,
she's a nice little thing, and I hope Steve will be good to her."

"I'm afraid you'll be all beat out helping me," said the bride
remorsefully, as they paused once more for a rest. "I don't know how
I'll ever thank you, anyhow."

"O, that's all right," and Alice seized the bag and bore it mightily
forward.

"O, dear," sighed the bride presently. "There's somebody driving this
way. I wish they was going the other, and would give us a lift."

The black speck down the road, which here ran alongside the track,
expanded rapidly, developing into a smart buggy with two good horses,
and a man driving. He leaned forward as he neared them, and suddenly
reined in the horses with a jerk.

"Great Guns!" he shouted, throwing the reins over the dashboard, and
leaping out over the wheel.

"It's Steve," cried the bride in a rapture, and Alice pinched herself
with delight as Steve embraced his lady.

"However in the world did you get off here?" he asked, releasing her
enough to reply.

"How did you?" she answered, and he laughed, "O, I thought I'd drive
over to the Junction to meet you and carry you home, and I heard about
the train being stalled out here and couldn't get out for hours, so I
drove on, that's all. But the idea of you hoofing it in!" He put his
head back and laughed loudly.

His fiancee then remembered Alice and introduced her, telling Steve of
her kind interest. He was all cordiality, and offered to give her a ride
back to the train.

"No, no," she protested. "I love to walk. And do hurry along home and
have the wedding. I'm so glad it all turned out all righ