Show mail manipo the JL iw limited by ELMER E VANCE A love story of steel rails CHAPTER VII continued she in turn utilized the milder and more subtle little girl methods of showing off t she hid from min him at every chance she goaded mm min into playing tag with lier her and for a short distance would run so fast that he could not capture her when her inferior I 1 strength gave out she forestalled his robust pretensions to the spoils of victor by taking refuge in shy confusion and she selected and picked the fairest dalsy daisy within sight and stuck it into hl his buttonhole with a possessive little pat they were in love candidly and completely in plemely ely caroline for days had been suspecting the extent of her attachment for bob when he had come to her at the gate this morning she felt sure of it and nd now ow swept from her feet by the indirect ardor of his wooi wooing ng she took the miracle of mutual love for granted benoon by noon they had gained the summit of distant starling hill the one luxuriantly verdant spot in all that hard mountain land the excess of their exuberance had toned down to a sober appreciation of one an others presence bob had forgotten that nite before it was hard to believe that the threat of trouble would not blow away the past seemed very remote and the living present exemplified in this vital overflowing girl at his side was so real and wonderful god was so palpably in his heaven that all seemed right with the world they were constantly stealing ab shy Y glanc glances es of admiration one at the other caroline felt a definite running away with her head edness when she looked at bob in his strong and handsome youthfulness and listened to his enthusiastic interpretation of his own moods there are girl days and boy days lie he told her once bold blustery march days are boy lays days rare warm soft june days are girl giri days day and today is the rarest june lay day of all because it is like you you are its distilled essence caroline with a little gasp of delight at the perfection of i it t chose chos e a cool well like recess under a thick setting of high limbed pines a as an ideal spot in which to lunch bob fumblingly helped her to set out the picnic spread marveling at the thoughtful choice behind the dainty delicacies she had brought and lost in visions of a sort he had never had before visions of a life together with this slender girl in a white cottage after lunch they stretched in luxurious ease at the edge of the grove where dairing and steady old trees grew dangerously close to the brink of a precipice in drowsy eloquent silence they watched the white argosies argolies argo sies of the summer sky dropping serenely toward the far f horizon Pre presently sendy caroline teased you threat ened yesterday you would do except one thing bob youve eaten pickles and youve watched the clouds clou ds sail overhead but bob reached for her land hand she gave it to him willingly gladly and for another long while they were silent in the pulsing thrill of loves first holding of hands bob leaned closer to her on his elbow and brushed hot lips caressingly across across the back of her hand it wa was like a spark that set up between them a flowing of magnetism ma that could no longer be deniec denied d an instant later lips to lips they th were ere straining into one an others arms still in the madness of that first kiss bob gradually became aware that an intangible inward pricking jv was alloying the pure strength of his joy invisible hands were drabing at min him from behind unseen bars bar burned his lips unvoiced words grated harshly in his cars 4 ive search for you all these years I 1 love you more than ever t frantic bob released caroline and jumped bo his feet striding away to the cliff edge where he stood tensely with his chin pressed down on his breast and his hands opening and closing spasmodically caroline who had given herself freely and passionately to the embrace sat up limply quivering under the pounding of the stalled heat in her veins bob the in matter atter bob dear in in a frightened embarrassed quaver quaker for perhaps half a minute bob did not answer did not indeed even look toward C caroline 1 roline he never forgot what he suffered in coming to the decision that brought him back straightforward and manly to his knees on the ground beside caroline facing her and telling her in a discouraged a and nd hopeless voice caroline I 1 must tell vou of my mv past life caroline smiled in relief so that was vas all then she smiled and said in in a quick display of faith and trustfulness that caused bobs eyes to lower lover in self abashed estimation of his own unworthiness alf 1 I love you for yourself bob not for fo r N your nour our past however silly that may have been but you dont understand you dont know caroline I 1 must tell you you cannot help but know even from the short time that you have lived in crater city that im a person there under a cloud of secrecy and mystery IllyS tery 11 caroline had all the woman in loves lack of jealous curiosity curios ity wa which ii eh sp sprang ran 9 from keenly negative matter of fact philosophy as 15 old as the sex that it would be better for her ber peace of mind if she learned nothing more about him than she already knew then what she did not know would not worry her she leaned close to him s smiling 1 g and patted a warning finger r on his Is lips there now there is is no mystery to me except the miraculous mv ff our youth and love for the rest im not interested in any of crater cotys pet mysteries but its a wonder most of the eats cats there arent dead if curiosity is as deadly to the tabbies as tradition would have us believe |