nt." But now,
with bowed head, she is struggling, for he has come close to her, so
close that his heart and hers might almost meet in their wild leaping,
so close that in audacious search for the missing headgear his hands are
reaching down behind the shrinking, slender little form, and his long,
sinewy arms almost encircling her. The war of words at the back stairs
"now trebly thundering swelled the gale," but it is not heard here at
the front.

His hands have grasped her wrists now. His blond head is bowed down over
hers, so that his lips hover close to the part of the dusky hair. "My
hat, Maidie," he cries, "or I'll--I'll take what I want!" Both hands
tugging terrifically at those slender wrists now, and yet not gaining an
inch. "Do you hear?--I'll--I'll take----"

"You sha'n't!" gasps Miss Ray, promptly burying her glowing face in the
breast of that happy Khaki, and thereby tacitly admitting that she knows
just what he wants so much more than that hat.

And then the long, white hands release their hold of the slim, white
wrists; the muscular arms twine tight about her, almost lifting her from
her feet; the bonny brown head bows lower still, his mustache brushing
the soft, damask-rose-like cheek. "I must go, Maidie,--darling!" he
whispers, "without the hat if need be, but not without--this--and
this--and this--and this," and the last one lingers long just at the
corner of the warm, winsome, rosy lips. She could not prevent
it--perhaps she did not try.

THE END.

End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Ray's Daughter, by Charles King

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