United States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Judith gave him a quick look. "That isn't the kind of a God we young
folks are looking for," she said.
"What is your idea?" asked Mr. Fowler.
Judith lifted her chin.
"A fire mist and a planet,
A crystal and a cell,
A jelly-fish and a saurian
And caves where cave-men dwell.
Then a sense of law and beauty,
And a face turned from the clod,
Some call it Evolution
And others call it God."
There was quiet in the warm, homely kitchen. Douglas watched Judith with
his heart in his eyes.
Elijah Nelson cleared his throat. "Nevertheless, Judith," he said, "this
is a fair warning that I'm going to put the Book of Mormon into Lost
Chief."
Judith flushed, her lips tightened, and she walked deliberately around
the table and took the preacher's hand. "Come, Mr. Fowler, let's go home
with Douglas and get to work!"
Douglas drew a long breath.
The preacher rose with alacrity. "Where shall we go?" he asked.
Douglas answered. "To Peter's until I can rebuild the cabin."
Elijah Nelson smiled grimly.
"Let's get started!" urged Judith.
The breakfast party broke up. The men went out to attend to the horses.
Judith and Mrs. Nelson turned to the dishes. Douglas from the corral
watched the backdoor attentively, and when Mrs. Nelson appeared he
signaled to her to wait for him to speak to her.
"Send Jude into the living-room for something," he whispered, "and then
keep the folks out while I talk to her for a little while."
Mrs. Nelson smiled understandingly, and a few moments later Douglas was
standing with his back to the living-room stove, both of his arms about
Judith.
"I had to thank you," he said, "and you were too stupid to make the
chance. Judith! Judith! You've made the world into heaven for me!"
"I'm not exactly unhappy, myself!" Judith's eyes glowed as she returned
Doug's look.
"Judith," he exclaimed, "let's ask Mr. Fowler to marry us now, before we
start home!"
Judith whitened a little. "O Douglas, you are crowding me, my dear!"
"But why wait, Judith? Isn't it the only thing to do? Neither of us will
ever go back to Dad's ranch again. We can be married and camp with Peter
until we get the cabin rebuilt. That's won't take a month. O, Judith,
please!"
"It's--it's too soon!"
"Too soon for what? We've been caring a long, long time, and we need
each other so!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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