From this maiden dream of everlasting bliss she was gently awakened by peculiar sounds. These sounds came from the lips of a jubilant boy, dancing along the center of the street. If explanation were necessary the sounds might be interpreted as a song of praise to the Creator for producing such a perfect day in such a wondrous world. To further emphasize the joy of living the boy's arms were swinging above his head and his eyes were heavenward. He wore a blue and white checkered shirt-waist, brown knickers, stockings of the same color and copper-toed shoes. His hat, being a nuisance, had been left at home. With him was a dog. And the dog, even more than his master, seemed intoxicated with present conditions. The fact of being alive had stirred him to a wild activity. At dazzling speed he was describing circles about the size of a circus ring around the singing boy. He traveled like a thing possessed and with a velocity somewhat faster than a shooting star. And the eyes of Ruth Heywood, although young and active, blinked as they tried to follow him. She called. "Drowsy!" Cyrus stopped, turned about and made a sweeping bow. When he straightened up the maiden beckoned, and said, "Come here." As he seated himself beside her, she asked: "Were you ever married, Cyrus?" For an instant the boy was taken aback. As he turned and looked into the maiden's eyes, ready to carry on the joke, he saw those eyes were more than serious: they were almost tragic in their earnestness. "Why, of course not! I'm too young." "No, nobody is too young. It's a lovely, beautiful thing and everybody ought to do it." Cyrus was clearly surprised; but, always polite to ladies, he nodded his appreciation of the new truth. "I didn't know. I thought only grown folks got married." "No; it is everybody's duty. And it's my duty and yours, too." Cyrus' eyebrows went up. "Me? Mine?" "Yes. It's a beautiful thing and makes us all better. Father says so." "Did he say children, too?" Ruth hesitated. "He--he--said it makes everybody better--more unselfish--and of course he meant nobody is too young to be made better." Cyrus nodded. "I s'pose that's so." "And I want to marry you," said Ruth. Cyrus nodded. "I'm ready, if it's a good thing." "It's a lovely thing." "What's the kind of good that it does?" "It makes us better." "Yes, but--but in what ways is a feller better?" "Oh, in every way." "Can he play ball any better?" "I guess so." "Is a married feller stronger and can he run faster than the feller that isn't married?" "Oh, yes." "Well, that's a good deal. Does it take long to have it done?" "Just a few minutes." As a new suspicion entered the mind of the prospective groom he edged away a few inches. "Does it hurt?" "What hurt?" "Getting married. Does a dentist do it--or something like that?"