off Sandy Hook.

Jim looked at the girl by his side and tried to
speak. She caught the strained expression in his
strong face and lowered her eyes.

He began to trace letters in the sand.

She knew with unerring instinct that he had made
his first desperate effort to speak his love and
failed. Would he give it up and wait for weeks and
possibly months--or would he storm the citadel in one
mad rush at the beginning?

He found his voice at last. He had recovered from
the panic of his first impulse.

"Well, how do you like my idea of a good day as far
as you've gone?" he asked lightly.

She met his gaze with perfect frankness. "The
happiest day I ever spent in my life," she confessed.

"Honest?"

"Honest."

"Oh, shucks--what's the use!" he cried, with sudden
fierce resolution. "You've got me, Kiddo, you've got
me! I've been eatin' out of your hand since the minute