Page:Man's Country (1923).pdf/165

 golden dreams—why that's the most exalted time in a girl's life. I'm not going to give it up, George; not one second of it."

Her eyes had half-closed as in some blissful ecstasy of contemplation out of which she roused to fling arms upon his shoulders with admiring raptures in her glance.

George Judson gasped dumbly in an atmosphere too rare for him to breathe.

"All right," he said, "oh, all right," and threw up his hands in token of surrender.

"You dear! Oh, you dear!" she exclaimed, and soft arms drew him down to her and soft lips touched him with a warm, electric thrill that was melting in its effect. "You are the most reasonable human being in all the world," she purred vivaciously, immensely pleased with him and with herself.

And George was pleased, too. At first he counted that quick capitulation of his a victory over himself; but away from her radiance, back once more in the cold world of business endeavor, and totalling up results, he felt somehow defeated. He saw that practically what had happened was a clash of wills, and it was his will that had been broken. He was gallant enough, however, to tell himself that he was glad that it was so; and he threw himself into his work at the factory.

Never before had his mind been so keen, his