No one objected, therefore Louisa took her place in a big rough chair by the fireside. “Now you can blindfold me, Hannah Maria,” she said, “and I’ll throw my handkerchief over the hat, too, so every one may be sure that I am not peeping.” Then fell upon the company a great silence, broken only by the uneasy stir of a heel on the bare floor, by the snapping of the fire, by a dry cough from Jabez Manypenny. Louisa drew from under the handkerchief the first number and held it up. “Fourteen,” called out Cyrus who took it from her. Timothy Forbes laughed sheepishly and moved to the back of the room. A second slip was produced. “Seven,” announced Cyrus. Pike Smith gave an impatient “Tchut!” but remembered that there were four more chances left for him and assumed his confident air. Twenty-two was the next number, which had such an effect upon Matt Cochran that he strode out and would have slammed the door if he could. At seventy-eight Lew Phelps looked gloomily down at his boots. Then there was a pause before the last drawing. Jabez moved so that his small spare figure was silhouetted against the dancing flames. Pike Smith drew himself up to the full height of his six feet two. Ira fixed his eyes on Louisa. Below the handkerchief which bound the girl’s eyes her cheeks glowed brilliantly. She lingered so long that some one laughed nervously and Cyrus said sharply, “Hurry up, Lou.” She caught her breath as her hand under the handkerchief found the little duplicate slip which she had taken the precaution to hide in the lining of her father’s old hat. She drew it forth slowly. It was withdrawn from her cold shaking fingers by her father who looked at it, paused, looked again, and then read out reluctantly: “Twenty-seven!” In an instant Louisa sprang to her feet, pushed back the bandage from her eyes, turned to the fire and dashed the remaining slips into the flames. These leaped up and cast a bright glow upon the glad face of Ira Korner, who grasped the girl’s hands in his and triumphantly faced the room. CHAPTER XI LOU’S WEDDING Such a cheer as went up, when, the suspense over, every one was aware of the result of the drawing. Hannah Maria was the first to rush up with congratulations to Ira. Never before had she been so closely concerned in a romance, and that it had turned out so well was beyond her dearest hopes. Alison and Christine were scarcely more pleased than fat, good-natured, sentimental Hannah Maria. Since the annexation of Texas to the United States the time had passed when the presence of a _padre_ was necessary to legalize a marriage, and so it was hoped that there would be no delay in the wedding, as Judge Jackson had been notified by his friend Jabez Manypenny to be present, and was promptly on hand to perform the ceremony for Ira and Louisa, to Jabez’ discomfiture and Pike’s rage.