"I'd like to wring his neck," said Martin, grinning. "But since it

turned out like this for me I'll forgive him. I don't care how many

Amandas he marries if he leaves me mine."

At that point little Charlie, tiptoeing to the open door of Martin's

room, saw something which caused him to widen his eyes, clap a hand

over his mouth to smother an exclamation, and turn quickly down the

stairs.

"Jiminy pats, Mom!" he cried excitedly as he entered the kitchen, "our

Mart's holdin' Amanda's hand and she's kissin' him on the face! I seen

it and heard it! Jiminy pats!"

The small boy wondered what ailed his mother, why she was not properly

shocked. Why did she gather him into her arms and whisper something

that sounded exactly like, "Thank God!"

"It's all right," she told him. "You mustn't tell; that's their

secret."

"Oh, is it all right? Then I won't tell. Mart says I can keep a secret

good."

But Martin and Amanda decided to take the mother into the happy secret.

"Look at my face," the girl said. "I can't hide my happiness. We might

as well tell it."

"Mother!" Martin's voice rang through the house. At the sound a happy,

white-capped woman wiped her eyes again on the corner of her gingham

apron and mounted the stairs to give her blessing to her boy and the

girl who had crowned him with her woman's love.

The announcement of the troth was received with gladness at the Reist

farmhouse. Mrs. Reist was happy in her daughter's joy and lived again

in memory that hour when the same miracle had been wrought for her.

"Say," asked Philip, "I hope you two don't think you're springing a

surprise? A person blind in one eye and not seeing out of the other

could see which way the wind was blowing."

"Oh, Phil!" Amanda replied, but there was only love in her voice.

"It must be nice to be so happy like you are," said Millie.

"Yes, it must be," Uncle Amos nodded his head in affirmation. He looked

at the hired girl, who did not appear to notice him. "I just wish I was

twenty years younger," he added.

A week later Amanda and Martin were sitting in one of the big rooms of

the Reist farmhouse. Through the open door came the sound of Millie and

Mrs. Reist in conversation, with an occasional deeper note in Uncle

Amos's slow, contented voice.

"Do you know," said Martin, "I was never much of a hand to remember

poetry, but there's one verse I read at school that keeps coming to me

since I know you are going to marry me. That verse about 'A perfect woman, nobly planned

To warn, to comfort, and command.'"




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