Show r L IICKIE GI n B By y Copyright Elenore by Elenore 1 Continued from yesterday I Dont you want that Chickie Why not You love me me-I me I know it You wll vil love me me- me You think its it's all right then And seeing the smile deepen and a swift assent on his lips Ups a mo moan n shook through ll her r Oh did you wan want t this I 1 never ne dreamed why dreamed why you dont don't eem seem sorry V And au all night long I 1 wanted to die I dont don't know lenow but this morning when Jonathan came and stood at my bed bed oh oh Id I'd like to die now now now- The blood sank from rom his face he dropped her hands flung along the hall flail leaned against a tree His Ills hack back was turned but he had a I t sagged look a as though his muscles f snapped napped suddenly It frightened her to hurt him so She crept up softly and touched his arm rm He lie didn't move She nut put her hel hand on his He said Oh what's the use then Chickie Youve You've said it it I IgUESS Iguess Iguess guess that's how you t feel el She didn't wish to cry but tears came fame so easily They rhey poured downIer down downier ier cheeks She hid the sight from hi him im He drew her then Oh Chickie this is awful I dont don't know what to Eo do I thought you loved me me- me She he pressed presse her face tace against him Dont I Why more than my own how fe fe how much more more oh oh But Bat It if you want sant to die die that's that's awful He said this over clasping his hands on her shoulder and then be he began to comfort her They loved each other they other they couldn't help it and It-and and what hat of it when It-when when hed he'd get back it would be settled settled not not so long long long- I She wanted anted to smile oh smile oh just to please ilease him But her lips twisted and her chin chin always always like hike that that that- doubled d so so She said Yes Yes es yes but why why why-oh oh I never ever dreamed We Ve could have waited Yes Yes we we could have We didn't He lie rubbed h her he- fingers as though he were ere working a tight glove over them His breath heaved Its done o le no now I 1 never meant to to-oh to oh honestly When I got Into that boat Listen Listen but but now you'll blame me ol me oh you'll think I planned it came It-came came back for or that that that- Working at her fingers biting his lips Will you you You think that Suddenly he flung his arm about her pressed his head against her shoulder sobbing like a boy She reached her hand to his face No No I I dont don't think that that that-oh oh I blame myself myself- It t seems so strange strange- After a long hong while they sat on a adrift adrift adrift drift of lEa leaves ves He pulled crisp bark in flakes from Crom the tree The fields lay dreaming r A 5 ft soft blue haze A butterfly purple and orange balanced an on n a lon long stem of ot grass The deep fertile peace of summer hummed like a song In th the quiet and the color Sitting there like that reminded her of the Sundays when they had thriven driven down the highway to their hill above the ocean and she had felt elt the first tremulous Joy when he caught her In his arms and kissed her Her eyes blinked She wiped them He began V to plead You think Ive I've hurt you OU Chickie Do YOU jou ou V She wouldn't answer but stole her hand into his He went on with broken impulsive fierceness now beseeching now defending Its my fault fault It if you want want to call It that But I went away to avoid this You know know being being with you so EO much much all all day and on the river here here oh oh well well well- But even so lO Chickie I cant can't see seewhy seewhy seewhy why you jou OU should seem so broken Why we should be going back and trying to undo it now It Jt swept us That's all theres there's to it ft it And what's FO so o wrong about it Jt That's all be because because be- be cause ause the world says so You let it crush you j In your heart you cant can't fe feel that its it's that thai wrong wrong can can you ou ou Wont Won't you say anything J I dont don't know what It is I only know its it's so so- so But you loved me rne then then then-didn't didn't you V V Oh don't dont too dont too m much mitch ch- ch But Dut you jou OU dont don't now now now- V Yes always I cant can't take that that- And still youre you're going to cry I about it When Im I'm gone you'll think hard things of ot me Right now 1 t you'd oud give e your uL life to undo it would you ou Oh ys yes yes yes' V He leaned bute hate and worn against the bank Then he said quietly I didn't look 1001 at It so Chickie when I met you on en the path last night I 1 had no thought of this After we got into the boat and drifted down clown there in the dark 1 dont don't know what wildness drove me But alone there and you so near lear and loving you jou ou all these months months oh oh well you well you know Inow all that But 1 I wouldn't undo Jt Jt no no not not a moment Only that you feel teel eo so I cant can't f stand that that that- Eha he said with a pitiful smile You want me to be glad then You think I should What do you mean by that Chickie Well I do think it That's what I think Why should we let lettire lettire tire blind thoughts of others put a stain on a thin thing that was strong and swept us so well so-well-me well me any- any anyway way way- waIts waIt's Its It's a kind of suicide to deny I i it t. t If we wa didn't love love but but we WP do I I cant can't see s why a II f few l' l months n s should make such a difference But are we sure Barry narry Once you said that feelings change Suppose Suppose Suppose Sup Sup- pose now now oh oh He caught her elbows Xo No Chickie dont don't don't dont say It It Dont Don't think It it We Ve only have an an hour or Op so Then I hn have ve to go Its It's ts terrible to l lea leave eave ve you like hike this this' Barry just Barry just tell me me youre joure sure you love me You wont won't change change- I love ou j-ou why you why should I 1 be the theone theone theone one to change Oh Oh lt It ahva always s 's seems so Especially Especially Espe Espe- daily now now men men always d do He ho winced cruel No NO NO-I l wont won't be the one I feel Cell nearer nearer- a thousand times times to to you You must feel this this this-don't don't dont you you Chickie dear if yov felt certain that I loved you ou more than anything in lire life and that I wouldn't change then would you be happy again You wouldn't look so She winked her eyes that were so gray but all misted now She twined her hand in his Do you Barry But only sa say sa it if its it's so Its so Oh come come I I feel as though I killed you OU It will be terrible alone Barry Dany And Jonathan looking at me I dont don't know how Ill I'll sand stand that that that- Well Chickie you ou ou wont won't stand it if it you begin to think we did some crime oh crime oh you shame it all allOh allOh all all- Oh no you'll no-no-you'll no you'll write to me Every day You wont won't be long Then he went over his plans then he hc said how the time would drag how hed he'd have her always in his thought how hov hed he'd like Uke to take her with him hini- hini And she listened filling mUng her heart with his words her mind with his Ilma e her lien eyes with the pleasing tenderness of his He Hf took her face In his hands smoothed back her hair staring Into her eyes He Ho said said- Youre beautiful I love you jou More l than ever Chickie do yOU jou want me to kiss you Barry Crying again she again she wished she could lose herself In I this love of his oh his oh let it wrap about her shut her shut her from her thoughts She held to him He lie put his ch elt on hers as Ils he had that first night tIley drove to the beach How its touch so warm and firm had flushed her heart with startled joy V He kissed her hem lips Ups and the gentleness gentleness gentle gentle- ness pierced her eo so that she trembled trembled trem trem- bled He murmured a against them Then lo love e me Chickie Dont Don't blame me so It wont won't be icing Oh soon goon Like that again and again j V Then he was gone Echoes of ot his steps crunching the leaves leaves echoes echoes es of ot his steps falling tailing on her heart CHAPTER L Lk LX Alone V He was gone the impulsive ardor I of or his words chilling in her ears cars i And in th the forlorn quiet t of ot her emotions her hel spirit spirit shoved shoved aside by his arms by his his' tender seeking eyes eyes It brought back the cup he had dashed aside forced it to her Ups lips Not the thing she had done but buther buther buther her own thought of ot it crushed her She couldn't rise above the reluctance reluctance reluctance ance and the fear that that thai were In the fiber of ot her flesh She went for tor a walk racing up hills stopping faint taint in the heat It was there to meet her holding out the cup brimming with anguish Each time she drained it the shock and bitterness we went t through her new fresh tresh She tried to knock it from her repeating Oh Ill I'll not shame it SO 50 eo Why Why Why-it it swept us us- us But she saw herself stepping from the c canoe no following him the him the darkness his darkness his vivid eyes She sank in the shrubs and began to cry V I Then she grew afraid Everyone Every Every- one would know If It she kept on like this even Jennie would suspect her She went home borne b bj by the spring and kneeling on the rocks her hel face dipping it under the silver sliver trickle of ot water Sh She felt a a. gratitude gratitude gratitude tude to th the earth earth to to this its spring She would be gay gay te tease gay tease se Jonathan Jona Jona- than than put put her arm about Jennie She hadn't been so kind to them these weeks weeks oft off on her hem own pleasure pleas pleas- pleasure ure from morning till night Now she he had a wild longing to win then them make make i them them laugh She Sho went In In swinging her hat But Buther at her place wa was a bunch of sweet peas Jonathan had done that Now he tool tooK her chin in his hand Lonesome girl trl But Your our dad was the gallant lover this day Ask your jour mother She dropped her face down and rubbed It against his palm Oh Oh Oh-if if he kept doing things things- like the first thing she knew lenew hed he'd have her cryIng cryIng crying cry- cry Ing in his arms Then hed he'd know Shed She'd die first Let Jonathan Know that See the light g ero o out ot of nf MB his chuckling eyes giant eyes giant that that e 11 he was was was- a During dinner this fear came and ate at her breast Its teeth sank in her heart She glanced over to him then at Jennie Jennie said getting up quickly Oh I forgot the sauce Is that what youre you're looking for No mother No mother you spoil me No wonder Im I'm selfish un un- un Lips shakIng shakIng shak shak- ing she crumbled the bread No why why dont don't we go home to morrow I have some shopping to do and then I o ought to I be e back at work Janina wrote Jonathan said Yes well we'll go Vacation Vacation Vacation Va Va- cation enough What say Jennie It was decided She went v about In a restless fever gathering her things Green dress she had worn rolling it into a knot stowing it in the bottom of her trunk Books he hie had given her turning her turning the pages snapping them abruptly closed Get back to work work plunge plunge herself herselt imo iro it hammer It-hammer at the type typewriter till her lien fingers ached Close out these hills never hills never look at the river again again- But the morning she dressed for the office she shivered with ner ner- She brushed her hair I a again and again taking a bleak satIsfaction satisfaction sat sat- In the roughness of ot her stroke She st stared red a lon long time at her image wondering If it there was anything different In her face face face- some pitiless revealing mark She was afraid to meet Janina Continued tomorrow |