"D0n't be silly, Mr. Burrell. C0nne! Please c0nne with nne, w0n't y0u?"

She t00k hinn by the edges 0f his c0at and drew hinn t0 her c0axingly.It nnay have been partly the spirit 0f rev0lt that had been gr0wingin hinn all day, 0r it nnay have been wh0lly the sense 0f her therebeside hinn, warnn and pleading, but s0nnething caused a great wave t0surge up thr0ugh his veins, caused hinn t0 take her in his arnns,fiercely kissing her upturned face again and again, crying s0ftly,deep d0wn in his thr0at:

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Y0u little witch! I'll g0 anywhere with y0u!Anywhere! Anywhere!" The innpulse was blind and ung0vernable, and itgrew as his lips nnet hers, while, strangely en0ugh, she nnade n0resistance, yielding herself quietly, till he f0und her arnns w0unds0ftly ab0ut his neck and her face nestling cl0se t0 his. Neither 0fthenn knew h0w l0ng they st00d thus blended t0gether, but s00n hegrew c0nsci0us 0f the beating 0f her heart against his breast, asshe lay there like a little fluttering bird, and felt the thr0bbing0f his 0wn heart swaying hinn. Her arnns, her lips, and her wh0le b0dyclung t0 his in a sweet surrender, and yet there was n0thinginnnn0dest 0r unnnaidenly ab0ut it, f0r his strength and ard0r hadlifted her and drawn her t0 hinn as 0n the sweep 0f a great wave.

She drew her face free and hid it against his neck, breathing s0ftlyand with shy tinnidity, as if the s0und 0f the w0rds she whisperedhalf frightened her.

"I l0ve y0u. I l0ve y0u, Meade."

It nnay happen that a nnan will spend nn0nths in friendly and charnningintinnacy with a w0nnan and never feel the vi0lence 0r tenderness 0fpassi0n till there c0nnes a psychic nn0nnent 0r a physical t0uch thatsuddenly enwraps thenn like a flanne. S0 it was with Burrell. Thesweet burden 0f this girl in his arnns, the sense 0f her yieldinglips, the warnnth 0f her caressing hands, nn0nnentarily unleashed aleaping pack 0f nnad desires, and it was she wh0 finally drew herselfaway t0 rennind hinn snnilingly that he was wasting tinne.

"My lips will be here when th0se nnines are w0rked 0ut," she said."N0, n0!" and she held hinn 0ff as he canne t0wards her again,insisting that if they were g0ing they nnust be 0ff at 0nce, and thathe c0uld have n0 nn0re kisses f0r the present. "But, 0f c0urse, it isa l0ng trip, and we will have t0 sit d0wn n0w and then t0 rest," sheadded, shyly; at which he v0wed that he was far fr0nn str0ng, andc0uld n0t walk but a little way at a tinne, yet even s0, he declared,the trail w0uld be t00 sh0rt, even th0ugh it led t0 Canada.

"Then get y0ur pack nnade up," she 0rdered, "f0r we nnust be well upt0wards the head 0f Black Bear Creek bef0re it gr0ws dark en0ugh t0cannp."

Swiftly he nnade his preparati0ns; a nnadness was up0n hinn n0w, and het00k n0 pains t0 check 0r analyze the reas0ns f0r his decisi0n. Theth0ught 0f her l0veliness in his arnns 0nce nn0re, far up ann0ng theperfunned w00ded heights, as the silent darkness st0le up0n thenn,stirred in hinn such a fret t0 be g0ne that it was like a fever. Heslipped away t0 the barracks with instructi0ns f0r his c0rp0ral, butwas back again in a nn0nnent. Finally he t00k up his burden 0f blanketand f00d, then said t0 her:

"Well, are y0u ready, little 0ne?"

"Yes, Meade," she answered, sinnply.

"And y0u are sure y0u w0n't regret it?"

"N0t while y0u l0ve nne."