He was riding home in the evening of the second day, past the end of the long bridge, finding comfort in this thought.

A white figure, framed in the black mouth of the bridge, startled rider and horse.

“It’s only Clare,” she said.  “I heard you were up the river to-day, and I’ve been waiting for you.”

He rode closer.  It was a new and strange Clare who was revealed to him in the dim light.  She was gowned and gloved, and her broad hat hid her boyish curls.  She walked out of the gloom and leaned against the bridge rail.

“Ah, the little playmate did ride away from me forever!” he cried, looking her up and down.  “But this young lady—­why, she takes my breath away!” He took off his hat and bowed to the pommel.

“You needn’t make fun of me, Mr. Harlan Thornton,” she returned, crisply.  “And a real young lady wouldn’t come down in this bridge and wait for you.  I wanted to tell you I’m glad.  I hear all about your success.  When I was a little girl I didn’t want you to go away and be a big man.  But now that I’m a woman I’m glad you’re going.  I wanted you to realize, Mr. Harlan Thornton, that I’m a woman, so if you’ll reach down your hand I’ll shake it and congratulate you.”

He took her little hand in both his own.

“You were a real little woman two days ago right here in this place,” he said, gratefully.  “I didn’t realize it at that moment, but it was what you said to me that put some real sense into my head, after all.  It set me to thinking.”

“What kind of laws are you going to make?” she demanded.

“I don’t think I’ll have much to do with making laws, Clare.  All I can do is listen and try to be on the right side when the voting comes.”

“Can’t you make a law to oblige old men to stop fighting each other,” she demanded, petulantly—­“fighting each other, and making all their folks uncomfortable?”

“I think it would be a good law, especially in one case I know about.  But sometimes the best laws don’t get passed.”

“I’ll come down and make a speech for it.  You said I talked like old folks the other evening.”

“A speech from you would convert them all,” he returned, indulging her in this childish banter.  “You see, you converted me with only a few words, and I was a hard case just then.”

“Then I’ll come down to your legislature and we’ll make it into a law, and the punishment shall be, if they don’t make up and allow their folks to be comfortable and friends, they must have their old heads bumped together—­bumped harder and harder till they shake hands and make up and live happy ever after.  Old folks haven’t any business to stay mad.  They won’t get into heaven if they do.”

She withdrew her hand, and went away into the black mouth of the bridge.

“That’s all, Big Boy!” she cried.  “It was some business, you see, that I waited to talk over with you.  And a grown-up young lady mustn’t stay after her business is finished.”