“If you’ve been accumulating wrinkles and gray hairs on account of that you’ve been very foolish.” “Your last letter didn’t seem quite as genial as some others!” “I didn’t underscore the important words, or write them in red ink?” She became suddenly grave. The events of the evening haunted her like a bad dream. He stooped low above her bended head. “I love you,” he whispered; “and I’m going to ask you again if you love me, just to hear you say it!” She looked up at him, tremulously. “Justin, I love you, and I love you! There, don’t ask me again, until after you have spoken to Uncle Philip.” His blue eyes were shining into the depths of her brown ones; and with a quick motion he stooped and kissed her. “No one was looking, and no one could see us in here,” he said, as she gave a start and her pale face flushed rosy red. “I will speak to Mr. Davison to-morrow,” he promised, as if to make amends. CHAPTER XVI BEN DAVISON’S TRIUMPH Justin made that call on Philip Davison in much trepidation, and broached the subject with stammering hesitation and flushed face. Davison was non-committal, until he had heard him through. Yet, looking earnestly at this youth, he saw how prepossessing Justin was in appearance, how clear-cut, frank and intelligent was his face, with its expressive blue eyes, how shapely the head under its heavy, dark-brown hair. Justin’s costume was that of a cowboy, but it became him. There was a not unkindly light in Davison’s florid face and he stroked his beard thoughtfully, as Justin made his plea. But his words were not precisely what Justin hoped to hear. “I don’t blame you for thinking well of Lucy,” he said; “she is a rare girl; and the man who takes her for his wife with my consent must show some qualities that will make me think he is worthy of her. I’ve thought well of you, Justin, and I think well of you now. That you’re a cowboy isn’t anything that I would hold against you; a cowboy can become a cattle king, if he’s got the right kind of stuff in him. Everything depends on that.” “I intend to do something, to become something, make something of myself,” Justin urged, his face very hot and uncomfortable. “I haven’t had time to do much yet, and my opportunities haven’t been very good. I’ve succeeded in getting a pretty fair education.” “But would you have done even that, if Clayton hadn’t driven you on to it? You’ve got brains, and he coaxed you to study, and of course you learned. But in other things you’re not doing nearly so well as Ben, for instance. Ben will go into the state legislature this fall, and he’s not so very much older than you.” The flush deepened on Justin’s face. “I shall try to make the most of myself,” he declared, somewhat stiffly. That reference to Ben was not pleasing. “See that you do. Then you can come to me later. I shall speak to Lucy about this. There isn’t any hurry in the matter, for she has two more years in that school.”