“‘Say, girls, I have a scheme. Will you do it? Dare you do it?’ she whispered in stage tones. “‘Do what?’ we asked. “‘Save me from becoming the mother of an orphan asylum.’ She grew tragic again. “‘You must, or I’ll die! I’ll die! Will you do it?’ “‘Of course, we’ll do it!’ we promised, half alarmed at her antics. ‘What is it?’ “‘My Lord de Vere is going to pop the question, this very night.’ “Mary and I sank on the sofa screaming with laughter. Lord de Vere was Watkins’ stage name. “‘Jerusha, you don’t mean it?’ “‘Yes, I do; he nearly did it last night, but I headed it off. He’s coming to rehearse to-night, and I know he’ll do it. What can I do? What shall I do?’ “‘Do!’ Aunt ‘Liza sniffed, ‘why tell him _no_ and be done with it.’” “Oh, how could you be so cruel, Aunt ‘Liza?” asked Sally. “Please go on, Mrs. Willis,” said Alta. “Well, Jerusha finally jumped up and cried, ‘Girls, I have it! Do you want to hear a real proposal?’ “We danced with delight at the suggestion. “‘Well, I’ll tell you. When my lord comes to-night, you be on hand and I’ll manage the rest. Slip down by the old apple tree.’” “Mother, you surely didn’t!” said Mary. “I’m afraid I must confess, child, that I did.” “And did he propose?” “Now, don’t crowd my story. We waited a long time before they got through rehearsing, and then, just as we had decided that Jerusha was fooling us, here they came sauntering down to the bench by the apple tree. We didn’t know where else to hide, so we climbed the tree, and sat there giggling. But we managed to hold quiet enough until he began to make love in dead earnest.” “Huh! the old softy!” inserted Aunt ‘Liza; “jest like him!” “Did he get down on his knees?” asked Sally; “what did he say?” “I don’t remember a word; we burst out laughing, and jumped up and down on the limbs till the apples peppered down on them. Jerusha broke away and ran screaming to the house, and Mr. Watkins made a mad scramble for the gate.” “Oh, mother, mother!” exclaimed Mary; “how could you?” “Served the old skeezicks just right,” was Aunt ‘Liza’s unfeeling rejoinder. “Shame on you for spoiling such a romance,” said Alta, laughingly; “how dared you?” “Well, we got so hungry for fun those days we did do things that were rowdy, perhaps; but if our fun seemed a little rough at times, there wasn’t anything really wicked in it. I guess the spirit of the wild West was just bubbling over in us, that’s all.” “Is the spirit of the West so different, Mrs. Willis?” asked Alta. “Perhaps not; yet it seems to me that those who live here long catch something of the wild freedom of these old mountains. Haven’t you felt it? You are a Western girl through and through, even though you haven’t been here so long.” “Do you think so? Am I wild?” “You’re a mixture of ginger and sugar,” said Sally. “Now, don’t,” pleaded Alta; “tell me, Mrs. Willis, what is the spirit of the true Western girl?”