ng
to the old, old standard. If the man's eyes were dimmed by the
flash and sparkle that play upon the surface of life, the woman's
vision was strong and clear to look into the still depths.

Later in the day, as they walked together up the Old Trail to
Sammy's Lookout, the girl tried to show him some of the things
that had been revealed to her in the past months. But the young
fellow could not follow where she led, and answered her always
with some flippant remark, or with the superficial philosophy of
his kind.

When he tried to turn the talk to their future, she skillfully
defeated his purpose, or was silent; and when he would claim a
lover's privileges, she held him off. Upon his demanding a reason
for her coldness, she answered, "Don't you see that everything is
different now? We must learn to know each other over again."

"But you are my promised wife."

"I promised to be the wife of a backwoodsman," she answered. "I
cannot keep that promise, for that man is dead. You are a man of
the city, and I am scarcely acquainted with you."

Young Stewart found himself not a little puzzled by the situation.
He had come home expecting to meet a girl beautiful in face and
form, but with the mind of a child to wonder at the things he
would tell her. He had found, instead, a thoughtful young woman
trained to look for and recognize truth and beauty. Sammy was
always his physical superior. She was now his intellectual
superior as well. The change that had come to her was not a change
by environment of the things that lay upon the surface, but it was
a change in the deeper things of life--in the purpose and
understanding of life itself. Like many of his kind, Ollie could
not distinguish between these things.

CHAPTER XXIV.

WHAT MAKES A MAN.

Mr. Matthews and his son finished their planting early in the
afternoon and the boy set out to find old Kate and the mule colt.
Those rovers had not appeared at the home place for nearly two
weeks, and some one must bring them in before they forgot their
home completely.

"Don't mind if I ain't back for supper, Mother," said Young Matt.
"I may eat at the ranch with Dad. I ain't been down there for
quite a spell now, an' I'd kind o' like to know if that panther
we've been a hearin' is givin' Dad any trouble."

"Dad told me yesterday that he thought he heard old Kate's bell
over on yon side of Cox's Bald," said Mr. Matthews; "I believe if
I was you I'd take across Cox's