“Well, I’m told getting married unstrings some men.” He aimed, and the snake was shattered. “Maybe it’s too early yet for the unstringing to begin!” And with some deliberation he sent three more bullets into the snake. “I reckon that’s enough,” said he.

“Was not the first one?”

“Oh, yes, for the snake.” And then, with one leg crooked cow-boy fashion across in front of his saddle- horn, he cleaned his pistol, and replaced the empty cartridges.

Once more she ventured near the line of his reticence. “Has--has Trampas seen you much lately?”

“Why, no; not for a right smart while. But I reckon he has not missed me.”

The Virginian spoke this in his gentlest voice. But his rebuffed sweetheart turned her face away, and from her eyes she brushed a tear.

He reined his horse Monte beside her, and upon her cheek she felt his kiss. “You are not the only mind- reader,” said he, very tenderly. And at this she clung to him, and laid her head upon his breast. “I had been thinking,” he went on, “that the way our marriage is to be was the most beautiful way.”

“It is the most beautiful,” she murmured.

He slowly spoke out his thought, as if she had not said this. “No folks to stare, no fuss, no jokes and ribbons and best bonnets, no public eye nor talkin’ of tongues when most yu’ want to hear nothing and say nothing.”

She answered by holding him closer.

“Just the bishop of Wyoming to join us, and not even him after we’re once joined. I did think that would be ahead of all ways to get married I have seen.”

He paused again, and she made no rejoinder.

“But we have left out your mother.”

She looked in his face with quick astonishment. It was as if his spirit had heard the cry of her spirit.

“That is nowhere near right,” he said. “What is wrong.”

“She could never have come here,” said the girl.

“We should have gone there. I don’t know how I can ask her to forgive me.”

“But it was not you!” cried Molly.

“Yes. Because I did not object. I did not tell you we must go to her. I missed the point, thinking so much about my own feelings. For you see--and I’ve never said this to you until now--your mother did hurt me. When you said you would have me after my years of waiting, and I wrote her that letter telling her all about myself, and how my family was not like yours, and--and--all the rest I told her, why you see it hurt me never to get a word back from her except just messages through you. For I had talked to her about my hopes and my failings. I had said more than ever I’ve said to you, because she was your mother. I wanted her to forgive me, if she could, and feel that maybe I could take good care of you after all. For it was bad enough to have her daughter quit her home to teach school out hyeh on Bear Creek. Bad enough without havin’ me to come along and make it worse. I have missed the point in thinking of my own feelings.”