Judith jumped to her feet, indignation flashing from her eyes.

“He is not!  If your Mormon religion can do all you claim for you, then our religion can do as much for us as it did for our ancestors.  I never did believe there was a God.  But that’s not saying He’s not to be found if you really hunt for Him.”

“’If with all your hearts ye truly seek me, ye shall ever surely find me,’” said Mr. Fowler quietly.

Judith gave him a quick look.  “That isn’t the kind of a God we young folks are looking for,” she said.

“What is your idea?” asked Mr. Fowler.

Judith lifted her chin.

“A fire mist and a planet,
A crystal and a cell,
A jelly-fish and a saurian
And caves where cave-men dwell. 
Then a sense of law and beauty,
And a face turned from the clod,
Some call it Evolution
And others call it God.”

There was quiet in the warm, homely kitchen.  Douglas watched Judith with his heart in his eyes.

Elijah Nelson cleared his throat.  “Nevertheless, Judith,” he said, “this is a fair warning that I’m going to put the Book of Mormon into Lost Chief.”

Judith flushed, her lips tightened, and she walked deliberately around the table and took the preacher’s hand.  “Come, Mr. Fowler, let’s go home with Douglas and get to work!”

Douglas drew a long breath.

The preacher rose with alacrity.  “Where shall we go?” he asked.

Douglas answered.  “To Peter’s until I can rebuild the cabin.”

Elijah Nelson smiled grimly.

“Let’s get started!” urged Judith.

The breakfast party broke up.  The men went out to attend to the horses.  Judith and Mrs. Nelson turned to the dishes.  Douglas from the corral watched the backdoor attentively, and when Mrs. Nelson appeared he signaled to her to wait for him to speak to her.

“Send Jude into the living-room for something,” he whispered, “and then keep the folks out while I talk to her for a little while.”

Mrs. Nelson smiled understandingly, and a few moments later Douglas was standing with his back to the living-room stove, both of his arms about Judith.

“I had to thank you,” he said, “and you were too stupid to make the chance.  Judith!  Judith!  You’ve made the world into heaven for me!”

“I’m not exactly unhappy, myself!” Judith’s eyes glowed as she returned Doug’s look.

“Judith,” he exclaimed, “let’s ask Mr. Fowler to marry us now, before we start home!”

Judith whitened a little.  “O Douglas, you are crowding me, my dear!”

“But why wait, Judith?  Isn’t it the only thing to do?  Neither of us will ever go back to Dad’s ranch again.  We can be married and camp with Peter until we get the cabin rebuilt.  That’s won’t take a month.  O, Judith, please!”

“It’s—­it’s too soon!”

“Too soon for what?  We’ve been caring a long, long time, and we need each other so!”