Page:Old ninety-nine's cave.djvu/128

 "Celeste, I love you. Will you be my wife?" she knew that in that simple declaration was the fidelity of a lifetime.

"Celeste," said Elisha, "I told Hernando of our engagement, and he wishes us every happiness."

"I wonder if he will ever marry."

"Probably not," returned Elisha, "he is one of the few men capable of purely platonic affection. In his eyes all women are little lower than angels," and Elisha smiled.

"If he ever does marry, his wife will be very happy," she said, with a coquettish toss of her head.

"And will mine be unhappy?" he asked, pressing his lips to the curly head on his shoulder.

"That depends," she said saucily, "entirely on your dutifulness."

"Oh, Celeste, I have loved you ever since you were a little miss down in Missouri," he said earnestly. "My prospects are good and I see no reason for deferring our marriage until some remote day in the future. I feel