It was not until he reached his room at eleven o'clock after three hours more of her in the reception room that he faced the issue squarely.
He stood before the mirror and studied his flushed face. A look of deep seriousness had crept into his jolly blue eyes.
"You're a goner, this time, young man!" he whispered. "You're in love."
He paused and repeated it softly.
"In love—the big thing this time. Sweeping all life before it. Blotting out all that's passed and gripping all that lies beyond—Glory to God!"
For hours he lay awake. The world was made anew. The beauty of the new thought filled his soul with gratitude.
He dared not tell her yet. The stake was too big. He was playing for all that life held worth having. He couldn't rush a girl of that kind. A blunder would be fatal. He had a reputation as a flirt. She had heard it, no doubt. He must put his house in order. His word must ring true. She must believe him.
He made up his mind to return to Fort Leavenworth next day and manage somehow to get transferred to Fort Riley for two weeks.
CHAPTER XVII
The Surveyor of the lands of Pottawattomie Creek was shaping the organization of a band of followers.