Attheheadheplacedtheneatsackofherbelongings。Forhisownhemadeashelterwithcrossedpolesandasheetofcanvasbeyondthefirstpines。Hebuiltthefirewhereitssmokewouldfloatoutwardfromthetreesandthetent,andnearithestoodthecookingthingsandhisprovisions,andmadethisfirstsupperreadyinthetwilight。Hehadbroughtmuchwithhim;butfortenminuteshefished,catchingtroutenough。Whenatlengthshecameridingoverthestreamathiscall,therewasnothingforhertodobutsitandeatatthetablehehadlaid。Theysattogether,watchingthelastofthetwilightandthegentleoncomingofthedusk。Thefinalafter-glowofdayleftthesky,andthroughthepurplewhichfolloweditcameslowlythefirststars,brightandwideapart。Theywatchedthespacesbetweenthemfinwithmorestars,whilenearthemtheflamesandembersoftheirfiregrewbrighter。Thenhesenthertothetentwhilehecleanedthedishesandvisitedthehorsestoseethattheydidnotstrayfromthepasture。Somewhileafterthedarknesswasfullycome,herejoinedher。Allhadbeenashehadseenitinhisthoughtsbeforehand:thepineswiththesettingsunuponthem,thesinkingcamp-fire,andnowthesoundofthewaterasitflowedmurmuringbytheshoresoftheisland。
Thetentopenedtotheeast,andfromittheywatchedtogethertheirfirstsunrise。Inhisthoughtshehadseenthismorningbeforehandalso:thewaking,thegentlesoundofthewatermurmuringceaselessly,thegrowingday,thevisionofthestream,thesensethattheworldwasshutawayfarfromthem。Sodiditallhappen,exceptthathewhisperedtoheragain:-“Betterthanmydreams。“
Theysawthesunlightbeginuponahilltop;andpresentlycamethesunitself,andlakesofwarmthflowedintotheair,slowlyfillingthegreensolitude。Alongtheislandshorestheripplescaughtflashesfromthesun。
“Iamgoingintothestream,“hesaidtoher;andrising,heleftherinthetent。Thiswashissideoftheisland,hehadtoldherlastnight;theotherwashers,wherehehadmadeaplaceforhertobathe。Whenhewasgone,shefoundit,walkingthroughthetreesandrockstothewater’sedge。Andso,withtheislandbetweenthem,thetwobathedinthecoldstream。Whenhecameback,hefoundheralreadybusyattheircamp。Thebluesmokeofthefirewasfloatingoutfromthetrees,loiteringundispersedinthequietair,andshewasgettingtheirbreakfast。Shehadbeenabletoforestallhimbecausehehaddelayedlongathisdressing,notwillingtoreturntoherunshaven。Shelookedathiseyesthatwereclearasthewaterhehadleapedinto,andathissoftsilkneckerchief,knottedwithcare。
“Donotletusevergoawayfromhere!“shecried,andrantohimashecame。Theysatlongtogetheratbreakfast,breathingthemorningbreathoftheearththatwasfragrantwithwoodlandmoistureandwiththepines。Afterthemealhecouldnotpreventherhelpinghimmakeeverythingclean。Then,byallcustomsofmountainjourneys,itwastimetheyshouldbreakcampandbemovingbeforetheheatoftheday。Butfirst,theydelayedfornoreason,savethatinthesehourstheysolovedtodonothing。Andnext,whenwithsomeenergyhegotuponhisfeetanddeclaredhemustgoanddrivethehorsesin,sheasked,Why?Woulditnotbewellforhimtofishhere,thattheymightbesureoftroutattheirnooning?Andthoughheknewthatwheretheyshouldstopfornoon,troutwouldbeassureashere,hetookthischanceformoredelay。
Shewentwithhimtohisfishingrock,andsatwatchinghim。Therockwastall,higherthanhisheadwhenhestood。Itjuttedouthalfwayacrossthestream,andthewaterflowedrounditinquickfoam,andfellintoapool。Hecaughtseveralfish;butthesunwasgettinghigh,andafteratimeitwasplainthefishhadceasedtorise。
Yetstillhestoodcastinginsilence,whileshesatbyandwatchedhim。Acrossthestream,thehorseswanderedorlaydownintheirpasture。Atlengthhesaidwithhalfasighthatperhapstheyoughttogo。
“Ought?“sherepeatedsoftly。
“Ifwearetogetanywhereto-day,“heanswered。
“Needwegetanywhere?“sheasked。
Herquestionsentdelightthroughhimlikeaflood。“Thenyoudonotwanttomovecampto-day?“saidhe。
Sheshookherhead。
Atthishelaiddownhisrodandcameandsatbyher。“Iamverygladweshallnotgotilltomorrow,“hemurmured。
“Notto-morrow,“shesaid。“Nornextday。Noranydayuntilwemust。“Andshestretchedherhandsouttotheislandandthestreamexclaiming,“Nothingcansurpassthis!“
Hetookherinhisarms。“YoufeelaboutitthewayIdo,“healmostwhispered。“Icouldnothavehopedthere’dbetwoofustocaresomuch。“
Presently,whiletheyremainedwithoutspeakingbythepool,camealittlewildanimalswimmingroundtherockfromabove。Ithadnotseenthem,norsuspectedtheirpresence。Theyheldthemselvesstill,watchingitsalertheadcrossthroughthewavesquicklyandcomedownthroughthepool,andsoswimtotheotherside。
Thereitcameoutonasmallstretchofsand,turneditsgrayheadanditspointedblacknosethiswayandthat,neverseeingthem,andthenrolleduponitsbackinthewarmdrysand。Afteraminuteofrolling,itgotonitsfeetagain,shookitsfur,andtrottedaway。
Thenthebridegroomhusbandopenedhisshyheartdeepdown。
“Iamlikethatfellow,“hesaiddreamily。“Ihaveoftendonethesame。“Andstretchingslowlyhisarmsandlegs,helayfulllengthuponhisback,lettinghisheadrestuponher。“IfIcouldtalkhisanimallanguage,Icouldtalktohim,“hepursued。“Andhewouldsaytome:’Comeandrollonthesands。Where’stheuseoffretting?What’sthegaininbeingaman?Comerollonthesandswithme。’That’swhathewouldsay。“TheVirginianpaused。
“But,“hecontinued,“thetroubleis,Iamresponsible。Ifthatcouldonlybeforgotforeverbyyouandme!“Againhepausedandwenton,alwaysdreamily。“OftenwhenIhavecampedhere,ithasmademewanttobecometheground,becomethewater,becomethetrees,mixwiththewholething。Notknowmyselffromit。Neverunmixagain。Whyisthat?“hedemanded,lookingather。“Whatisit?Youdon’tknow,norIdon’t。Iwonderwouldeverybodyfeelthatwayhere?“
“Ithinknoteverybody,“sheanswered。
“No;noneexcepttheoneswhounderstandthingstheycan’tputwordsto。Butyoudid!“Heputupahandandtouchedhersoftly。
“Youunderstoodaboutthisplace。Andthat’swhatmakesit——makesyouandmeaswearenow——betterthanmydreams。Andmydreamswereprettygood。“
Hesighedwithsupremequietandhappiness,andseemedtostretchhislengthclosertotheearth。Andsohelay,andtalkedtoherashehadnevertalkedtoanyone,noteventohimself。Thusshelearnedsecretsofhisheartnewtoher:hisvisitshere,whattheyweretohim,andwhyhehadchosenitfortheirbridalcamp。
“WhatIdidnotknowatall,“hesaid,“wasthewayamancanbepiningfor——forthis——andneverguesswhatisthematterwithhim。“
Thenhehadfinishedtalking,stillhelayextendedandserene;
andshelookeddownathimandthewonderfulchangethathadcomeoverhim,likeasunrise。Wasthisdreamyboythemanoftwodaysago?Itseemedadistanceimmeasurable;yetitwastwodaysonlysincethatweddingevewhenshehadshrunkfromhimashestoodfierceandimplacable。Shecouldlookbackatthatdarkhournow,althoughshecouldnotspeakofit。Shehadseendestructionlikesharpsteelglitteringinhiseyes。Werethesethesameeyes?Wasthisyouthwithhisblackheadofhairinherlapthecreaturewithwhommendidnottrifle,whosehandknewhowtodealdeath?
Wherehadthemanmeltedawaytointhisboy?Forasshelookedathim,hemighthavebeennoolderthannineteento-day。Notevenattheirfirstmeeting——thatnightwhenhisfreakishspiritwasuppermost——hadhelookedsoyoung。Thischangetheirhoursupontheislandhadwrought,fillinghisfacewithinnocence。
Byandbytheymadetheirnooning。Intheafternoonshewouldhaveexploredthenearerwoodswithhim,orwalkedupthestream。
Butsincethiswastobetheircampduringseveraldays,hemadeitmorecomplete。Hefashionedaroughbenchandatable;aroundtheirtenthebuiltatallwind-breakforbettershelterincaseofstorm;andforthefirehegatheredandcutmuchwood,andpileditup。Sotheywereprovidedfor,andsoforsixdaysandnightstheystayed,findingnodayornightlongenough。
Oncehishedgeofboughsdidthemgoodservice,fortheyhadanafternoonoffuriousstorm。Thewindrockedthepinesandransackedtheisland,thesunwentout,theblackcloudsrattled,andwhiteboltsoflightningfellcloseby。Theshowerbrokethroughthepinebranchesandpoureduponthetent。Buthehadremovedeverythinginsidefromwhereitcouldtouchthecanvasandsoleadthewaterthrough,andtherainranoffintotheditchhehaddugroundthetent。Whiletheysatwithin,lookingoutupontheboundingfloodsandthewhitelightning,shesawhimglanceatherapprehensively,andatoncesheansweredhisglance。
“Iamnotafraid,“shesaid。“Ifaflameshouldconsumeustogethernow,whatwoulditmatter?“
Andsotheysatwatchingthestormtillitwasover,hewithhisfacechangedbyhertoaboy’s,andsheleavenedwithhim。
Whenatlasttheywerecompelledtoleavetheisland,orseenomoreofthemountains,itwasnotafinalparting。Theywouldcomebackforthelastnightbeforetheirjourneyended。
Furthermore,theypromisedeachotherliketwochildrentocomehereeveryyearupontheirweddingday,andliketwochildrentheybelievedthatthiswouldbepossible。Butinafteryearstheydidcome,morethanonce,tokeeptheirweddingdayupontheisland,anduponeachnewvisitwereabletosaytoeachother,“Betterthanourdreams。“
Forthirtydaysbythelightofthesunandthecamp-firelighttheysawnofacesexcepttheirown;andwhentheyweresilentitwasallstillness,unlessthewindpassedamongthepines,orsomeflowingwaterwasnearthem。Sometimesateveningtheycameuponelk,orblack-taileddeer,feedingoutinthehighparksofthemountains;andoncefromtheedgeofsomeconcealingtimberheshowedherabear,sittingwithanoldlogliftedinitspaws。
Sheforbadehimtokillthebear,oranycreaturethattheydidnotrequire。Hetookherupwardbytrailandcanyon,throughtheunfootedwoodsandalongdwindlingstreamstotheirheadwaiters,lakeslyingnearthesummitoftherange,fulloftrout,withmeadowsoflonggrassandathousandflowers,andabovethesethepinnaclesofrockandsnow。
Theymadetheircampsinmanyplaces,delayingseveraldayshere,andonenightthere,exploringthehighsolitudestogether,andsinkingdeepintheirromance。Sometimeswhenhewasatworkwiththeirhorses,orintentoncastinghisbrownhackleforafish,shewouldwatchhimwitheyesthatwerefulleroflovethanofunderstanding。Perhapsshenevercamewhollytounderstandhim;
butinhercompleteloveforhimshefoundenough。Helovedherwithhiswholeman’spower。Shehadlistenedtohimtellherinwordsoftransport,“Icouldenjoydying“;yetshelovedhimmorethanthat。Hehadcometoherfromasmokingpistol,abletobidherfarewell——andshecouldnotlethimgo。Atthelastwhite-hotedgeofordeal,itwasshewhorenounced,andhewhohadhisway。
Neverthelessshefoundmuchmorethanenough,inspiteofthesighthatnowandagainbreathedthroughherhappinesswhenshewouldwatchhimwitheyesfulleroflovethanofunderstanding。
Theycouldnotspeakofthatgrimweddingeveforalongwhileafter;butthemountainsbroughtthemtogetheruponallelseintheworldandtheirownlives。Attheendtheylovedeachotherdoublymorethanatthebeginning,becauseoftheseaddedconfidenceswhichtheyexchangedandshared。Itwasanewblisstohertoknowaman’stalkandthoughts,tobegivensomuchofhim;andtohimitwasablissstillgreatertomeltfromthatreservehislonelylifehadbredinhim。Heneverwouldhaveguessedsomuchhadbeenstoredawayinhim,unexpressedtillnow。TheydidnotwanttogotoVermontandleavethesemountains,butthedaycamewhentheyhadtoturntheirbacksupontheirdream。Sotheycameoutintotheplainsoncemore,wellestablishedintheirfamiliarity,withonlythejourneystilllyingbetweenthemselvesandBennington。
“Ifyoucould,“shesaid,laughing。“Ifonlyyoucouldridehomelikethis。“
“WithMonteandmysix-shooter?“heasked。“Toyourmother?“
“Idon’tthinkmothercouldresistthewayyoulookonahorse。
Buthesaid“Itthiswayshe’sfearing,Iwillcome。“
“Ihavemadeonediscovery,“shesaid。“YouarefonderofgoodclothesthanIam。“
Hegrinned。“Icert’nlylike’em。Butdon’ttellmyfriends。Theywouldsayitwasmarriage。WhenyouseewhatIhavegotforBennington’sspecialbenefit,you——why,you’lljusttrustyourhusbandmorethanever。“
Sheundoubtedlydid。Afterhehadputononeparticularsuit,shearoseandkissedhimwherehestoodinit。
“Benningtonwillbesorrowful,“hesaid。“Nowild-westshow,afterall。Andnoready-madeguy,either。“Andhelookedathimselfintheglasswithunbiddenpleasure。
“Howdidyouchoosethat?“sheasked。“Howdidyouknowthathomespunwasexactlythethingforyou?“