"Well, I reckon we kin fill up the house."

Clayton's heart sank at the ordeal of a wedding with such a master
of ceremonies. He was about to ask where Easter and her mother
were, when, to his relief, he saw them both in the path below,
approaching the house. The girl was carrying a bucket of water on
her head. Once he would have thought her picturesque, but now it
pained him to see her doing such rough work. When she saw him,
she gave a cry of surprise and delight that made Clayton tingle
with remorse. Then running to him with glowing face, she stopped
suddenly, and, with a look down at her bare feet and soiled gown,
fled into the cabin. Clayton followed, but the room was so dark he
could see nothing.

Easter! " he called. There was no answer, but he was suddenly
seized about the neck by a pair of unseen arms and kissed by
unseen lips twice in fierce succession, and before he could turn
and clasp the girl she was laughing softly in the next room, with a
barred door between them. Clayton waited patiently several
minutes, and then asked:

Easter, aren't you ready?

Not yit-not yet!" She corrected herself with such vehemence that
Clayton laughed. She came out presently, and blushed when
Clayton looked her over from head to foot with astonishment. She
was simply and prettily dressed in white muslin; a blue ribbon was
about her throat, and her hair was gathered in a Psyche knot that
accented the classicism of her profile. Her appearance was really
refined and tasteful. When they went out on the porch he noticed