he tenderest promises, fraught with such transports
of delight; when each lingering word grows sweeter under the spell of
love-lit eyes. Oh, blissful elysium of love's young dream!

They stood together in the deepening twilight, when the sun's last bars
of gold were reflected in the stream.

"Oh, Shawn, it was a glad day when you first came with Doctor Hissong to
hunt."

"Yes," said Shawn, as he took her hand, "it was a hunt where I came upon
unexpected game, but how could you ever feel any love for a poor
river-rat?"

"I don't know," said Lallite, "but maybe, it is that kind that some
girls want to fall in love with, especially if they have beautiful
teeth, and black eyes and hair, and can be unselfish enough to kill a
bag of game for two old men, and let them think that they did the
shooting."

"Lally, when they have love plays on the show-boats, they have all sorts
of quarrels and they lie and cuss and tear up things generally."

"Well, Shawn, there's all sorts of love, I suppose, but mine is not the
show-boat kind."

"Thank the Lord," said Shawn.

He drew out a little paste-board box. Nestling in a wad of cotton, was
the pearl given to him by Burney.

"Lally, this is the only thing I have ever owned in the way of jewelry,
and it's not much, but will you take it and wear it for my sake?"

"It will always be a perfect pearl to me," said the blushing girl.

CHAPTER XIV

Doctor Hissong was announced as a candidate for the Legislature. John
Freeman, his opponent, was making a vigorous canvass for the nomination
before the democratic primary. Freeman, unfortunately, saw fit to inject
personalities into the campaign, and sought to throw the old doctor into
a violent passion, possibly leading him to his old weakness of resorting
to liquor, but Doctor Hissong made his canvass upon a high plane,
appealing to the voters from a standpoint of the duties and
responsibilities involving this honor, and ignoring the petty thrusts of
his opponent.

Major LeCroix gave a burgoo at his locust grove on the river, to which
all the candidates were invited. It was an occasion which brought out
an immense crowd of farmers and town-people. "Turkle" Thompkins had been
engaged to make the burgoo, and the river country could not boast of
another such burgoo maker as "Turkle", for the making of burgoo soup
requires an experience born of long practice and care. Thompkins always
selected the best meats, of beef, mutton, chi