he young man's voice was strangely calm.

The girl held out her hand to him.

"I will never marry anyone else."

"I will wait for you all my life," said the young man.

Bending low, he kissed her hand in the palm, and with a bow to her
father, strode from the room.

The Judge, waiting at the gate in the darkness, heard the far-off,
monotonous galloping of Oliver's horse on the hard plantation road. He
rode forward to meet him.

"Well!"

It was only a word.

"They declined."

The father scarcely knew his son's voice, it was so wretched.

"What! Who declined? Did you see--"

"Both!"

Out in the darkness Judge Hampden broke forth into such a torrent of
rage that his son was afraid for his life and had to devote all his
attention to soothing him. He threatened to ride straight to Drayton's
house and horsewhip him on the spot. This, however, the young man
prevented, and the two rode home together in a silence which was
unbroken until they had dismounted at their own gate and given their
horses to the waiting servants. As they entered the house, Judge Hampden
spoke.

"I hope you are satisfied," he said, sternly. "I make but one request
of you--that from this time forth, you will never mention the name of
Drayton to me again as long as you live."

"I suppose I should hate her," said the son, bitterly, "but I do not. I
love her and I believe she cares for me."

His father turned in the door-way and faced him.

"Cares for you! Not so much as she cares for the smallest negro on that
place. If you ever marry her, I will disinherit you."

"Disinherit me!" burst from the young man. "Do you think I care for this
place? What has it ever brought to us but unhappiness? I have seen your
life embittered by a feud with your nearest neighbor, and now it wrecks
my happiness and robs me of what I would give all the rest of the world
for."

Judge Hampden looked at him curiously. He started to say, "Before I
would let her enter this house, I would burn it with my own hands"; but
as he met his son's steadfast gaze there was that in it which made him
pause. The Hampden look was in his eyes. The father knew that another
word might sever them forever.

*****

If ever a man tried to court death, young Oliver Hampden did. But Death,
that struck many a happier man, passed him by, and he secured instead
only a reputation for reckless courage and was promoted on the field.

His father rose to the command of a brigade, and Ol