“Do not tease—­not now.  Tell me.”  There was an undercurrent of wistfulness in Betty’s voice which touched the kindhearted brother.

“Well, to-day a certain young man asked me if he could relieve me of the responsibility of looking after a certain young lady.”

“Oh——­”

“Wait a moment.  I told him I would be delighted.”

“Eb, that was unkind.”

“Then he asked me to tell her he was coming over to-morrow morning to fix it up with her.”

“Oh, horrible!” cried Betty.  “Were those the words he used?”

“Betts, to tell the honest truth, he did not say much of anything.  He just said:  ‘I love her,’ and his eyes blazed.”

Betty uttered a half articulate cry and ran to her room.  Her heart was throbbing.  What could she do?  She felt that if she looked once into her lover’s eyes she would have no strength.  How dared she allow herself to be so weak!  Yet she knew this was the end.  She could deceive him no longer.  For she felt a stir in her heart, stronger than all, beyond all resistance, an exquisite agony, the sweet, blind, tumultuous exultation of the woman who loves and is loved.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Bess, what do you think?” said Col.  Zane, going into the kitchen next morning, after he had returned from the pasture.  “Clarke just came over and asked for Betty.  I called her.  She came down looking as sweet and cool as one of the lilies out by the spring.  She said:  ’Why, Mr. Clarke, you are almost a stranger.  I am pleased to see you.  Indeed, we are all very glad to know you have recovered from your severe burns.’  She went on talking like that for all the world like a girl who didn’t care a snap for him.  And she knows as well as I do.  Not only that, she has been actually breaking her heart over him all these months.  How did she do it?  Oh, you women beat me all hollow!”

“Would you expect Betty to fall into his arms?” asked the Colonel’s worthy spouse, indignantly.

“Not exactly.  But she was too cool, too friendly.  Poor Alfred looked as if he hadn’t slept.  He was nervous and scared to death.  When Betty ran up stairs I put a bug in Alfred’s ear.  He’ll be all right now, if he follows my advice.”

“Humph!  What did Colonel Ebenezer Zane tell him?” asked Bessie, in disgust.

“Oh, not much.  I simply told him not to lose his nerve; that a woman never meant ‘no’; that she often says it only to be made say ‘yes.’  And I ended up with telling him if she got a little skittish, as thoroughbreds do sometimes, to try a strong arm.  That was my way.”

“Col.  Zane, if my memory does not fail me, you were as humble and beseeching as the proudest girl could desire.”

“I beseeching?  Never!”

“I hope Alfred’s wooing may go well.  I like him very much.  But I’m afraid.  Betty has such a spirit that it is quite likely she will refuse him for no other reason than that he built his cabin before he asked her.”