A Daughter of the Land

Kate obeyed, and with the writing material, laid down the letter

she had that morning received from John Jardine, telling her that

his wife had died suddenly, and that as soon as he had laid her

away, he was coming to exact a definite promise from her as to the

future; and that he would move Heaven and earth before he would

again be disappointed. Robert read the letter and laid it down,

his face slowing flushing scarlet.

"You called me out here, and married me expressly to answer this?"

he demanded.

"Of course!" said Kate. "I thought if you could tell him that his

letter came the day I married you, it would stop his coming, and

not be such a disappointment to him."

Robert pushed the letter from him violently, and arose "By -- --!"

he checked himself and stared at her. "Kate, you don't MEAN

that!" he cried. "Tell me, you don't MEAN that!"

"Why, SURE I do," said Kate. "It gave me a fine excuse. I was so

homesick for you, and tired waiting to begin life with you.

Agatha told me about her telling you the day she was ill, to marry

me; and the reason I wouldn't was because I thought maybe you

asked me so offhandlike, because she TOLD you to, and you didn't

really love me. Then this morning she was here, and we were

talking, and she got round it again, and then she told me ALL you

said, and I saw you did love me, and that you would have asked me

if she hadn't said anything, and I wanted you so badly. Robert,

ever since that day we met on the footlog, I've know that you were

the only man I'd every really WANT to marry. Robert, I've never

come anywhere near loving anybody else. The minute Agatha told me

this morning, I began to think how I could take back what I'd been

saying, how I could change, and right then Adam handed me that

letter, and it gave me a fine way out, and so I called you. Sure,

I married you to answer that, Robert; now go and do it."

"All right," he said. "In a minute."

Then he walked to her and took her in his arms again, but Kate

could not understand why he was laughing until he shook when he

kissed her.