"I know," she said, lowly; "I used to feel the same way. There was a time--right after you went away to begin your campaign, when it seemed to me that: you had gone to the farthest limits of the earth." "And now?" he asked, smiling. And when she did not answer, he added; "the world seems to have become very small." "It is a wonderful world, Kane," she said solemnly. For a time both were silent, gazing out of the window. In the foreground were the bare trees of the capitol grounds; the white, curving walks, the low stone fence with its massive posts; the broad streets of the city animated by traffic; the roofs of buildings. But straight down a street that intersected the broad thoroughfare skirting the capitol grounds on the east, they could look beyond the limits of the city at the mighty level country that stretched into the yawning gulf of distance--toward Willets; straight to the section of world which had been the scene of the conflict that had tried them sorely. It was a bleak picture; the plains dead and drear, barren of verdure--a dull, drab expanse of waste world with no life or movement in it, stretching below gray, cold clouds. But while they watched, a rift appeared in the clouds. It grew, expanded, and a shaft of sunlight pierced it, shimmering, glowing--touching the waste of world with a brilliance that thrilled them. It was evident that Ruth seemed to feel that the glimmering shaft was a promise of happiness to come, for when Lawler turned, her eyes were shining with a light that caused his own to deepen with sympathy and understanding. * * * * * Transcriber's note: On page 275, "foolishing" changed to "foolishly". (looking foolishly at Shorty)