now women in the old
German stories."

"Lurlei--Lurlei!" she sang, flourishing the blossoms about his head.

Tom dashed off the flowers in a blind despair. The scene was growing too
much for him to bear.

"Yes," he said, drearily, "I'll go--I'll go! I shan't trouble you again.
I hope the day may never come when you will be sorry, Elsie."

He was so pale and trembled so violently, that she was absolutely
terrified.

"Tom, don't look so!" she exclaimed. "I only wanted to tease you. I
wouldn't have you leave me for the world; I should be wretched!"

"Now you are kind again! I will stay. I won't tire you with telling you
of my love--"

"But I want to hear," interrupted Elsie.

"Oh, little child, it could do you no good! I suffer, Elsie, I suffer!"

"Tom, you're a goose--what you call a goney!"

"I know it, dear!"

"And you are just as blind as a bat."

"I suppose I am," he replied, dejectedly.

"And you're too stupid to live," cried Elsie, going into a great
excitement. "Don't you know a woman can say one thing and mean another?"

"Yes," said Tom, with more energy, "I do know that. I know it too well."

"Great Mr. Wisdom!" said she mockingly. "Then can't you
understand--don't you see?"

He looked at her in bewildered surprise. She was smiling tenderly in his
face.

"Elsie!" he cried.

She let her hands fall in his.

"I don't want you to go," she whispered, "never--never!"

"You love me--you will marry me?"

She did not speak, but she made no resistance when Tom caught her to his
heart and rained kisses on her face, utterly bewildered and unable to
comprehend anything except that happiness had descended upon his long
night at length.

But Elsie raised herself, pushed him off and said, with a dash of her
old wickedness:

"I'll tease you to death, Tom!"

"I can't believe it!" he exclaimed. "Oh, say it once--say 'I love you!'"

"I do love you, Tom--there!"

In an instant she flashed up again, while he was covering her hands with
kisses, crying:

"My little Elsie! My own at last!"

"No more sentiment," said she. "Let's be reasonable, Tom; the
catastrophe has reached a climax."

But it was a long time before Tom Fuller could regain composure enough
to talk at all coherently, or in what Elsie termed a sensible manner.

"It's so sudden," he said. "And to have so much happiness just when I
thought the last rope was going out of my hand! Why, I feel like the
fellow who clung all night to the s