Mr.Porter played cribbage with him (Dad adores cribbage) by the hour; they talked railroads, and politics, and mining--I don't think Dad had been so happy in years.

I know I had never been so happy, for I was sure Mr.
Porter loved me.

I couldn't help being sure; his heart was in his eyes every time he looked at me.
When we started from New York, we were Mr.Middleton, and Mr.
Porter, and Miss Middleton to one another; at Chicago, it was Tom, and Blakely, and Miss Middleton; I became Elizabeth in Utah (I made him call me that.) And when we reached Nevada.....
It happened so naturally, so sweetly.

Dad was taking a nap after luncheon, and Blakely and I were sitting on the rear platform of our car, the last car in the train.

It was a heavenly day of blue sky and sunshine; the desert was fresh from recent rain.