The Heart's Kingdom

"I wouldn't have you for a husband unless we were both convicted

together to a chain gang for at least five years after the ceremony,

Nickols Powers," said Harriet, with a laugh for which Nickols raised her

hand to his lips as he responded.

"You like husbands in safety deposit vaults, don't you, Harriet?" At

which sally they all laughed as they seated themselves around Mrs.

Sproul and me.

"Why will women want husbands to be as stationary as--as hitching posts,

Mrs. Sproul?" demanded Nickols as he leaned against one of the tall

pillars and lighted a cigarette for himself after having lighted one for

her and Jessie. Jessie Litton had always smoked, in secret until the

last year or two, and Mrs. Sproul had frankly taken up the habit as a

comfort for old age, she insisted. I suspect that she had had it for a

long time in advance of the fashion. It was a really delicious sight to

see the old world grace with which she accomplished it.

"Women have the nestling habit and that is why they want to believe men

to be sturdy oaks in whose branches they can safely anchor a family as

well as twine around in their affectionate gourd fashion," answered Mrs.

Sproul, as she daintily puffed a smoke ring at Nickols.

"A lot of times the gourd vine grows so strong that she doesn't realize

she is supporting her family by her own strength long after the oak has

faded away in her coils and sprouted up from an acorn in some other

locality," said Jessie, as she, too, puffed a ring of smoke in Nickols'

direction.

"Is this agriculture, biology or religion we are discussing?" demanded

Harriet with a laugh as we all rose and went to the edge of the porch to

meet Billy and Mark and father, who had with them the beloved

"Minister."

"Congratulations and condolences, Mr. Powers," said Mrs. Sproul as she

laid her hand in father's.

"On what score, my dear madam," he demanded.

"You know I asked for Charlotte on my fifteenth and her tenth birthday,

Judge," Nickols said, with his ready grace in any situation, and he came

and stood beside father and took his hand in his with the gentle

affection a girl might have shown the older man. "You said 'yes' then

and it has taken all these years to make her echo the word," and as he

finished speaking he held out his arm and drew me close to father and

himself.

"Hurrah!" exclaimed Mark, but I saw him exchange a glance of amusement

with Harriet, and Nell gave him a warning little squeeze of the arm.

"Bless you both," said father, as he gave us both a hug.

All this I saw and noted before I raised my eyes to meet the jeweled

eyes under dull gold that I knew were gazing straight at me as Gregory

Goodloe stood in the background against the dark vine while the

rejoicings over the announcement of my betrothal were enacted. Somehow I

felt I could not make myself face their gaze, which yet I knew I must. I

met a flash that burned down into the very darkest spots in my nature

and illuminated them all. There was not a trace of male anger or demand

in the gaze but a cold valuation of me and the entire situation that

burned me as ice burns raw flesh, then over all of us there suddenly

poured from the same source a tenderness that was as radiant as the

summer sun.