Show ax atza 02 N W 1 I al ir ct t h ute FN u ua I 1 RV R V IC CI I 1 N aa elen H martin CHAPTER VI continued 14 well she said with a long deep alah me I 1 aint got to be proud of but my kark terl your tour what my eaurl karuter kark ter you yon mean your character uh huh its all I 1 got youve got something else ne ile reached for her hand drew off her cotton glove and clasped her fingers youve got but bot she worked her hand free of his and drew on her glove again my fingers Is cold ile he frowned she might be glad lie he wanted to hold her hand band I 1 you tou not only have my mother but your father on the scent 1 he reproached pro Dro ached her what did you do to make him suspicious it was that there futch aunt rosy tol him about it did lie he was he to tee see you faltered the girl and the suspense in her voice was not assumed ff no but I 1 had this letter from him bl hea E drew an envelope from his pocket and handed it to her head istead it and see e what mischief your fudge has made all round my dear it was a pathetic little note neely felt poor mr ton anxiously endeavoring to protect his bis wayward child yet equally anxious to avert distension with his powerful neighbor by casting on him any base unfounded suspicion pointing out to st croix the impossibility of any safe or honorable relation between him and his daughter due to their able differences in station wealth and education somehow the most pathetic part of it to neely meely was the poor mans struggles to write intelligent english whiles we have always I 1 been in comfortable circumstances yet limited but honest and honorable bour our females in our family bel being ever virtuous and very chaste and I 1 never disgraced us though many tempt temptations a neely meely remembered as she found the i words all spelled correctly how bow assiduously the farmer had bad one evening to ito her mystification been consulting the ithe dictionary and how he had asked her to spell tor for him several long words she was relieved to find that nettle was referred to only as my daughter and not by name poor pop she sighed as she returned the letter to its envelope anil and passed it back to st croli croix he means so 10 well by us children 1 so you see meely youve got to be careful no more fudge 1 I never conceited it would give all this here trouble she lamented on the verge ot of tears st SL croix looked a shade less au an stere you get the spiffy coat he asked looks flooks tor for the world uke like english tweed its the teachers she left me borrow the loan of it off of her now look here I 1 why cant you may ay simply that she lent it to you instead of all those superfluous words I 1 she let you borrow the loan of it loff 1 off of her yo ye gods she lent it to me that says what you mean it rive words instead of a dozen I 1 ach belll pouted neely meely looking again as though slie she were on the verge of tears and then suddenly to her consternation she quite uncontrollably snickered crushing her hand against her mouth to keep from laughing hysterically teri cally fortunately tor for her he took it for a suppressed sob there there my dear he said halt half impatiently half remorsefully never mindl youre past teaching an howl look here meely why you ever mentioned that tile the teacher boards with you youve talked of everyone else in the household well you see I 1 had afraid you might want to be gave an tion to her and ashes so pretty I 1 had jealous she Is a pretty little thing but I 1 wonder he grinned what my brother marvin manin man in thinks of such a little ignoramus teaching a district school I 1 know they had such crude teachers as that in the schools but ashes awful good in geography I 1 she can bind every state on the patchwork patch work quilt I 1 1 you know linow the ther map nap and sums you had ought to see sec her do sums doncet my goodness I 1 to be sure she cant talk very aery correct she gets her ws and wes mixed terrible but united states state s history I 1 why she knows even the footnotes now mind im tellin you while she talked fied he watched her with shining eyes but it was her ravishing self not nettles proficiency in sums and footnotes that caused the 1 I declare meely in that coat you could pass tor for anything at all aall I 1 you look positively like a 8 swell 1 dan clam actually lie laug laughed lieL aue dreaming of course that the girl understood der stood why lie he laughed why he be thought it funny that neely ton should look patrician actually and it if I 1 really was so pa high toned like I 1 look in this here coat she responded wistfully you could coul d marry me then I 1 aint mr crelghton 7 marriage the happiest relation between a man and woman allely there Is a freer happier relation lie said insinuatingly ingratiatingly but since I 1 aint high toned she broke in why do you take all this here worry and trouble to meet up with me youre always asking me that ive told you you know P no I 1 dont it if you think rm im common too common to marry then what Is it about me you yon like so good well it if youve Y auve gotto cot to havu have an answer anster ully any I 1 I 1 suppose neely he said rewell 4 tf 0 1 4 she said with a long deep sigh me I 1 aint got bothin to be proud of but my Kark terl garding gardine her appraisingly its that youre so absolutely feminine feminine well but my goodness what would you expect it makes you to most men my dear so BO irresistible I 1 cant understand how youve gone this long without belne abeln married why you married meely ach I 1 aint got no curiosity ile he winced how bow blatantly vulgar she could bel be however she had given him his cue a wedge to break down barriers lie he found himself surprised at his own sense of reluctance to come to the point with her to put his quest to the test an undefined apprehension of disappointment though of course that was ridiculous surely she loved and desired him or why had she been risking so much to meet him here surely she was flattered at his desiring her berl lie suddenly snatched her to him with passionate kisses so fiercely that this time she was too helpless in his hard grip to avert his ups and into her ears he poured out words not in her vocabulary she could only guess their moaning mean hig could only surmise that now at last he was telling her what all along she ahe had known knon that lie he took her for a hus hussy syl and although through all these weeks she had been expecting this climax yet it came to her now with a shuddering shock in vain she struggled led to free herself from his arms and his appalling words let me so go ot or rit ill scream acrea Ml I 1 she h managed to gasp at last ile he was wn not too far gone to know the danger of her threat their hilltop though isolated being not too toa distant for a scream to be heard from the valley taller below panting balled baffled he be dropped hla his arms from about lier her hla his face distorted with a mingled resentment and an anguish of hungry yearning but he ha clutched her skirt lest she fihe get up and run away she only moved however a few inches from him on the log her whole body trembling her face deathly white if you touch me ill HI scream 1 she gasped lie ile could not find breath to answer her can we she asked scarcely above a whisper talk this here thing outs out sir r creichton there to say I 1 want you youl I 1 you tou surely want me mel ill amply reward you 4 you mean buy me of 0 course not any more than buy me W we want each other neely I 1 ill rewa reward r d you for the risk you take reward you well 1 do you mean give me A pile of t you can put away for your yo marriage neely started this was an amazing world that was being revealed to her berl she had not dreamed how far some men would go how ruthless they could be in degrading ft a girl for my marr marriage lagel 1 she breathed ach mr air crelghton creighton I 1 know yon thought that lowdown low down of me mel I 1 before the look of utter dismay that had come into her face he actually felt to Us his own bewilderment a momentary embarrassment was she ha going to be sentimental and scrupulous that would make things much too difficult he had certainly not anticipated having to wrestle with scruples I 1 1 I dont think lowdown low down of you meely we love each other love but id think mr crelghton creighton that if a man man loved a girl hed her not hurt herl berl but love never hurt anyone neely meely I 1 it enriches and blesses because it gives ecstasy ecstasy Sup supposing you had a sister would you go ahead and tell her to take such blessing and riches and ecstasy as youre of ferin me would you lie ile ignored this ridiculous question lon I 1 I feely love should be as free frea and natural to us as breathing this autumn air I 1 its a glorious adventure dut but if its that a glorious adventure why make it a sneak ln ugly bargain that you gotta hide bide and be ashamed of all your rufet life ashamed look at those birds and all the other wild free things are they ashamed then why should we be ashamed when were only yielding to our natures that god gave us ile he found himself reasoning her just as though he ha believed she were seriously putting up all these objections I 1 yes teg well but the birds mate sh she a answered and live in a nest and hatch batch young ones what love Is a home and children living and working together and bringing up children nothing else to la good enough for me mr crelghton creighton thank youl you oh neely meely you dont realize a free spontaneous love like ours can be so much more beautiful than the deadly dull stale marriage relation beautiful Sneak ln and aidin for fear well be found out and coln against the nature you talk about for its goin against nature when you dargent dar sent have a child and you call that love I 1 that aint love mr crelghton creighton its ICs well what would you call it I 1 dont know what call it it if all you see in love a lovely young creature like you Is childbearing but what loves for aint it if its nature youre me to follow and you ol of Terin ferin me money yet for my marri marriage agel As it if even a common man would marry me it if he knowel I 1 was a loose woman I 1 ev even a man mr crelghton creighton wants his kids mother to be a good woman but theres no right or wrong in love meely love Is so divinely above those superstitions superstition sl 1 love la Is 1 I aint th chinkin inkin she broke in so much about whether its right or wrong its ghether its good sense for a girl to give herself to a man that thinks she aint good enough to marry himl him it worth to a gt girl TO BE BB CONTINUED |