t plain cussedness was stylish."

"Jake, I'd rather have lived back in the early days," mused Lenore.

"Me too, though I ain't no youngster," he replied. "Reckon you'd better
go in now, Miss Lenore.... Don't you worry none or lose any sleep."

Lenore bade the cowboy good-night and went to the sitting-room. Her
mother sat preoccupied, with sad and thoughtful face. Rose was writing
many pages to Jim. Kathleen sat at the table, surreptitiously eating
while she was pretending to read.

"My, but you look funny, Lenorry!" she cried.

"Why don't you laugh, then?" retorted Lenore.

"You're white. Your eyes are big and purple. You look like a starved
cannibal.... If that's what it's like to be in love--excuse me--I'll
never fall for any man!"

"You ought to be in bed. Mother I recommend the baby of the family be
sent up-stairs."

"Yes, child, it's long past your bedtime," said Mrs. Anderson.

"Aw, no!" wailed Kathleen.

"Yes," ordered her mother.

"But you'd never thought of it--if Lenorry hadn't said so," replied
Kathleen.

"You should obey Lenore," reprovingly said Mrs. Anderson.

"What? Me! Mind her!" burst out Kathleen, hotly, as she got up to go.
"Well, I guess not!" Kathleen backed to the door and opened it. Then
making a frightful face at Lenore, most expressive of ridicule and
revenge, she darted up-stairs.

"My dear, will you write to your brother?" inquired Mrs. Anderson.

"Yes," replied Lenore. "I'll send mine with Rose's."

Mrs. Anderson bade the girls good-night and left the room. After that
nothing was heard for a while except the scratching of pens.

It was late when Lenore retired, yet she found sleep elusive. The
evening had made subtle, indefinable changes in her. She went over in
mind all that had been said to her and which she felt, with the result
that one thing remained to torment and perplex and thrill her--to keep
Kurt Dorn from going to war.

* * * * *

Next day Lenore did not go out to the harvest fields. She expected Dorn
might arrive at any time, and she wanted to be there when he came. Yet
she dreaded the meeting. She had to keep her hands active that day, so
in some measure to control her mind. A thousand times she felt herself
on the verge of thrilling and flushing. Her fancy and imagination seemed
wonderfully active. The day was more than usually golden, crowned with
an azure blue, like the blue of the Pacific. She worked in her room,
helped h