“It was, ma’am, it was. It was brother kill brother. But this one will be different, Miss Indy, for North and South will stand together and fight together, and, by Godfrey, there’ll be no stopping until Spanish dominion in Cuba is a thing of the past!”
“That’s right,” cried Julian. “This is the whole country together this time; it’s the United States of America, by Jupiter!”
“Let us thank God for that,” said Miss India, devoutly.
Winthrop and Holly were rather silent until they had left the red clay road behind and turned into the woods. There, in a little clearing, Winthrop led the way to the trunk of a fallen pine and they seated themselves upon it. The afternoon sunlight made its way between the branches in amber streams. Above them festoons of gray-green moss decked the trees. The woods were very silent and not even a bird-call broke the silence. Holly took her hat off and laid it beside her on the gray bark. Then she turned gravely to Winthrop and met his eyes.
“What is it?” she whispered.
“I’ve brought you here, Holly, to ask you to marry me,” he answered. Holly’s hand flew to her heart, and her eyes grew big and dark.
“I don’t understand,” she faltered.
“No, and before I do ask you, dear, I’ve got something to tell you. Will you listen?”