“The best I ever had, Will,” she answered, smiling back unsteadily.  Poor lady!  The size of an occasion is so many standards, whether the standard be inches or feet, or miles.  Miss Mattie’s events had been measured in hundredths of an inch, and it took a good many of them to cover so small an action as a successful picnic on a beautiful night.  Her eyes were humid; her mouth smiled and drooped at the corners alternately.  Red felt her happiness with a keen sympathy, and as he looked at her, suddenly she changed in his eyes.  Just what the difference was he could not have told; nor whether it was in her or in him.  A sudden access of feeling, undefinable, unplaceable, but strong, possessed him.  There is a critical temperature in the life of a man, when no amount of pressure can ever make the more expansive emotions assume the calmer form of friendship.  There was something in Miss Mattie’s eye which had warmed Red to that degree, but he didn’t know it.  He only knew that he wanted to sit rather unnecessarily close beside her, and that he would be sorry when it came time to go home.  And he was very silent.

During the drive back to the house he spoke in monosyllables; he went straight to the barn with Lettis afterward, and made no attempt to take the usual frank and hearty good-night kiss.

“You’re as glum as an oyster!” said Lettis, when they reached their quarters.  “What’s the matter, old man?”

“I don’t know, Let; I feel kind of quiet, somehow.”

“Sick?  Or something go wrong?”

“No; nothing of the kind; it’s just sort of an attack of stillness, but I feel durn good.”

Lettis laughed.  “If it wasn’t you, Red, I’d say you were in love,” he said.

It was well the barn was dark; or he would have seen a change wonderful to behold come over the ex-puncher’s face.  “The lad has hit it,” he said to himself in astonishment; aloud he grunted “hunh” scornfully, and aroused himself for an unnecessary joke or two.

Miss Mattie had noticed the “attack of stillness” and immediately tried to fasten the blame upon herself.  What had she done?  She couldn’t recall anything.  She remembered she had said something about the way his hair looked with the moon shining on it; perhaps he had taken offence at that; the remark was entirely complimentary, but sometimes people are touchy about such things; still that was not the least like Cousin Will.  She must have said or done something though—­what could it be?  Oh what a pitiful memory that could not recollect an injury done to one’s best friend!  She tossed and wondered over it for a long time before at length she tell asleep.

Red also looked up at the roof, and took account of stock.  His face was radiant in the dark.  “If I could only pull that off!” he thought.  “I must seem an awful rough cuss to her, though; all right for a cousin, but it’s different when you come to the other proposition.  My Jiminy!  I’ll take a chance in the morning and find out anyhow!” said he, and, eased in mind by the decision of action, he too shook hands with Morpheus and was presently dreaming.