FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  
norant foreigners at night. Why the devil don't they come in the daytime?" "Here's the picture, Harvey." He got up then, and carried the tiny photograph over close to the gas jet. There he stood for a long time, gazing at it. There was Rene with his rifle and his smile. There was Marie in her white apron. And in the center, the wind blowing her soft hair, was Sara Lee. Harvey groaned and Belle came over and putting her hand on his shoulder looked at the photograph with him. "Do you know what I think, Harvey?" she said. "I think Sara Lee is right and you are wrong." He turned on her almost savagely. "That's not the point!" he snapped out. "I don't begrudge the poor devils their soup. What I feel is this: If she'd cared a tinker's damn for me she'd never have gone. That's all." He returned to a moody survey of the picture. "Look at it!" he said. "She insists that she's safe. But that fellow's got a gun. What for, if she's so safe? And look at that house! There's a corner shot away; and it's got no upper floor. Safe!" Belle held out her hand. "I must return the picture to the society, Harve." "Not just yet," he said ominously. "I want to look at it. I haven't got it all yet. And I'll return it myself--with a short speech." "Harvey!" "Well," he retorted, "why shouldn't I tell that lot of old scandalmongers what I think of them? They'll sit here safe at home and beg money--God, one of them was in the office to-day!--and send a young girl over to--You'd better get out, Belle. I'm not company for any one to-night." She turned away, but he came after her, and suddenly putting his arms round her he kissed her. "Don't worry about me," he said. "I'm done with wearing my heart on my sleeve. She looks happy, so I guess I can be." He released her. "Good night. I'll return the picture." He sat up very late, alternately reading the report and looking at the picture. It was unfortunate that Sara Lee had smiled into the camera. Coupled with her blowing hair it had given her a light-heartedness, a sort of joyousness, that hurt him to the soul. He made some mad plans after he had turned out the lights--to flirt wildly with the unattached girls he knew; to go to France and confront Sara Lee and then bring her home. Or--He had found a way. He lay there and thought it over, and it bore the test of the broken sleep that followed. In the morning, dressing, he wondered he had not thought of it before. He w
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124  
125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
picture
 

Harvey

 

turned

 

return

 

putting

 
blowing
 
photograph
 

thought

 
kissed
 

broken


sleeve

 

wearing

 
wondered
 

office

 
morning
 

company

 
dressing
 
suddenly
 

joyousness

 

heartedness


confront

 

France

 

lights

 

unattached

 

wildly

 

alternately

 

reading

 

released

 

report

 

smiled


camera

 
Coupled
 

unfortunate

 

corner

 

looked

 
shoulder
 

center

 
groaned
 

devils

 
begrudge

savagely
 

snapped

 
daytime
 
carried
 

norant

 

foreigners

 
gazing
 

ominously

 
society
 

speech