ered with a hysterical laugh: 'You may be her darling
Charlie, but I'll be d----d if I am not to be her husband!'

"This was the match to the powder. Charlie, myself, and Harry King, each
sprang simultaneously forward, as if we meant to choke poor Tom for his
words. Again Charlie was the first to use reason:

"'Hold, boys;' cried he hoarsely; 'let us take a little time to reflect.
Two of us have declared ourselves to be engaged to Teresa. Let us hear
if she contemplates marrying King and Kittredge, also. What do you say,
King?'

"'I say yes!' thundered King, bending his black brows, and bringing down
his fist on the table by which he stood.

"'And _I_ say, I contemplate marrying _her_,' was my answer to Charlie's
challenge.

"Charlie flung himself into a chair, and covered his face with his
hands. The action touched some spring in our ruder natures which
responded in sympathy for our favorite, and had the effect to calm us,
in manner at least. I motioned the others to sit down, and addressed
myself to Charlie Darling. 'See here, Charlie?' I said, 'it seems that
Teresa has been playing us false. A girl who could be engaged to four
young men at once cannot be worth the regards of any of us. Let us
investigate the matter, and if she is truly guilty of such falsehood,
let us one and all quit her forever without a word of explanation. What
do you say? do you agree to that?'

"'How are you going to investigate?' asked Tom Allen, roughly. 'Have not
we each declared that she was committed to us individually, and what
more can be said?'

"'It appears incredible to me that any girl, much less a girl like
Teresa, could so compromise her self-respect as to encourage four
suitors, each in such a manner as that he expected to marry her. It is
so strange that I cannot believe it, except each man swears to his
statement. Can we all swear to it?'

"I laid my little pocket-bible on the table, and set the example of
taking an oath to the effect that Teresa had encouraged me to believe
that she meant to marry me. King and Allen followed with a similar oath.
Charlie Darling was the last to take the oath; but as he did so, a gleam
of gladness broke over his pale, handsome face; for he could word his
oath differently from ours. 'I swear before these witnesses and Almighty
God,' said Charlie, 'that Teresa Bryant is my _promised wife_.'

"'That takes the wind out of our sails,' remarked Allen.

"'Do you allow other men to kiss your