“Oh, Will!” cried Miss Mattie, “I can’t think of you like that—­rolling in the gutter.”  Her voice shook and broke off.  Her knowledge of the effect of stimulants was limited to Fairfield’s one drunkard—­old Tommy McKee, a disreputable old Irishman—­but drunkenness was the worst vice in her world.

“Rolling in the gutter!” cried Red, in astonishment.  “Why girl!  What for would I roll in the gutter?  What’s the fun in that?  Jiminy Christmas!  I wanted to walk on the telegraph wires—­there wasn’t anything in that town high enough for me—­what put gutters into your head?”

“I—­I supposed people did that when they were—­like that.”

“I wouldn’t waste my money on whisky, if that’s all the inspiration I got out of it,” replied Red.

“Well, of course I don’t know about those things, but I wish you’d promise me one thing.”

“Done!” cried Red.  “What is it?”

“I wish you’d promise me not to touch whisky again!”

“Phew!  That’s a pretty big order!” He stopped and thought a minute.  “If you’ll make that ’never touch it when it ain’t needed,’ leaving when it’s needed to what’s my idea of the square thing on a promise, I’ll go you, Mattie—­there’s my hand.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t have said anything at all, Will!  I have no right.  But it seemed such a pity such a splendid man—­I mean—­I think—.  You mustn’t promise me anything, Will,” stammered Miss Mattie, shocked at her own daring.

“Here!” he cried, “I’m no little kid!  When I promise I mean it!  As for your not having any right, ain’t we all there is?  You’ve got to be mother and sister and aunt and everything to me.  I ain’t as young as I have been, Mattie, and I miss she-ways terrible at times.  Now put out your fin like a good pardner, and here goes for no more rhinecaboos for Chantay Seeche Red—­time I quit drinking, anyhow,” he slipped a ring off his little finger.  “Here, hold out your hand,” said he, “I’ll put this on for luck, and the sake of the promise—­by the same token, I’ve got a noose on you now, and you’re my property.”

This, of course, was only Cousin Will’s joking, but Miss Mattie noticed with a sudden hot flush, that he had chosen the engagement finger—­in all ignorance, she felt sure.  The last thing she could do would be to call his attention to the fact, or run the risk of hurting his feelings by transferring the ring; besides, it was a pretty ring—­a rough ruby in a plain gold band—­and looked very well where it was.

Then they settled down for what Red called a good medicine talk.  Miss Mattie found herself boldly speaking of little fancies and notions that had remained in the inner shrine of her soul for years, shrinking from the matter-of-fact eye of Fairfield; yet this big, ferocious looking Cousin Will seemed to find them both sane and interesting, and as her self-respect went up in the arithmetical, her admiration for Cousin Will went up in the geometrical ratio.  He frankly admitted weaknesses and fears that the males of Fairfield would have rejected scornfully.