“Which one? You know a fellow's not responsible for what he promises to get his girl. All's fair in love and war, they say——”
“I'm going to hold you to this one, sir,” she firmly declared.
“All right, little bright eyes,” he responded cheerfully as he lit a cigarette and sent the smoke curling above his red head.
She sat for a while in silence, studying the man before her. The task was delicate and difficult. And she had thought it a mere pastime of love! As her fiance, he had been wax in her hands. As her husband, he was a lazy, headstrong, obstinate young animal grinning good-naturedly at her futile protests. How long would he grin and bear her suggestions with patience? The transition from this lazy grin to the growl of an angry bulldog might be instantaneous.
She would move with the utmost caution—but she would move and at once. It would be a test of character between them. She edged her chair close to his, drew his head down in her lap and ran her fingers through his thick, red hair.
“Still love me, Jim?” she smiled.
“Crazier over you every day—and you know it, too, you sly little puss,” he answered dreamily.
“You WILL make good your promises?”
“Sure, I will—surest thing you know!”
“You see, Jim dear,” she went on tenderly, “I want to be proud of you——”