Ned rose suddenly to his foot and drew Betty with him. His hand now was hot with the passion that fired his soul.
"Then you're worth fighting for. And I'm going to fight—fight for what I believe to be right and fight for you——"
He stopped suddenly and his slender figure straightened:
"I'm coming back to you, Betty!" he said with clear ringing emphasis. "I'm coming back to Washington. I'll be with an army conquering, triumphant, because they are right. There'll be a new President in the White House and I'll win!"
He bowed and reverently kissed the tips of her fingers.
"You glorious boy!" she sighed. "It's beautiful to be loved like that! I'm proud of it—I'll hold my head a little higher with every thought of you——"
"And you'll think of me sometimes when war has separated us?"
"I'll never forget!"
"And remember that I'm fighting my way back to your side?"
A tender smile played about the corners of her eyes and mouth: