d brought to him the freshness
of spring--the love of the mating birds among the blossoms--the
passionate desire of a heaven-wrought soul for its own, to whom could
be entrusted all that was his dearest and best. He would follow her
and win her,--yea, _win_ the woman God had made for him and him alone,
and into his eyes leapt the expression of the conquering male, the
force God had created within him to reach for the woman sublime and
cherish her.

When the car entered Mottville, rain was falling and the wind was
mourning ceaselessly.

By inquiry, Theodore found the road to the Singleton farm, and again,
as he impatiently sank back in the motor, he mentally vowed, with the
vow of a strong man, that the girl should listen to him. He never
realized, until they were climbing the rain-soaked hill, how starved
was the very soul of him.

The road was running with water, but they ploughed on, until through
the trees the farmhouse loomed up darkly. Bennett stopped the car at
the gate and Theodore jumped out. A light twinkling in the upper part
of the house told him she was there. Harmonious echoes were sounding
and resounding in his ears. They were notes from Jinnie's fiddle, and
for a moment, as they sobbed out through the attic window, he leaned
back against the wet fence, feeling almost faint. The wild, sweet,
unearthly melody surged over him with memories of the past.

Then he passed under the thrashing pines, mounted the broken steps,
and entered the house.

It took but a minute to find the stairs by which to reach her, and
there he stood in the gloom of the attic door, watching the swaying
young figure and noting the whole pitiful dejection of her. In the
single little light her eyes were as blue as the wing of a royal bird,
and oh, what suffering she must have gone through! Then Jinnie ceased
playing, and, as if drawn by a presence she knew not of, she turned
her eyes slowly toward the door, and when she saw him, she fell,
huddled with her violin on the garret floor, staring upward with
frightened eyes.

"If you're there," she panted, "if--if--speak to me!"

He bounded forward and gathered her up, and the light of an adoring
love shone full upon him.

"My sweet, my sweet, my beautiful, my little wonder-woman!" he
breathed. "Did you think I could live without you?"

She was leaning, half fainting, against his breast, like a wind-blown
flower.

"I've come for you," he said hoarsely. "Dearest, sweetest Jinnie!