FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  
to be left with the words hanging upon tongue-tip by her instant disappearance inside in search of Sarah, Caleb caught no hint of the thoughts behind those impassive and steady eyes. And yet he knew that Steve had risen in order that he might bow as he had the night before, when Caleb introduced him to his sister. Dexter Allison, coming up in less airy fashion across the lawn, surprised Caleb with his mouth still open. "Well?" said Dexter Allison--and Caleb recovered himself. "Well?" he countered; and then they both laughed softly and shook hands. It was their unvaried formula of greeting, whether they had not seen each other for twenty-four hours or twenty-four months. And while they were shaking hands the boy turned quietly and re-seated himself upon the top step. But Allison gave him more notice than had his daughter Barbara. He stood with his pudgy hands in his pockets, gazing at the averted face, unconcealed and growing amusement in the scrutiny, until Caleb, not yet aware of the boy's woods-taught habit of seeing while seeming not to see, was simultaneously annoyed at Allison's fatuous grin, and glad of the fact that Steve apparently was looking the other way. After a time Allison raised quizzical eyes to Caleb's face. "Wel-l-l?" he intoned, and with a little reluctance as reasonless as it was unnoticed, Caleb answered the inferred question. "This--this is a little friend of mine, Dexter," he said, "down from the hills. He's in to have a look at the city which you have been so instrumental in arousing to its present state of teeming activity. This is Stephen O'Mara. Steve--this is Mr. Allison, Steve!" Then the boy turned and again rose to his feet, and at that moment Caleb could have hugged him for his deliberation. The boy inclined his head; he bowed, without a word. And it was Dexter Allison who first offered a hand. "Glad to make your acquaintance, Stephen," the latter exclaimed with quite violent good humor. "And how are you?" Steve took the hand and closed his brown fingers hard upon the puffy white ones. For an instant he stood, his eyes, grave and inscrutable, full upon Allison's smaller ones. "I'm tol-lable," he drawled soberly. "And--haow be you--yourself?" Allison gasped, stood with mouth agape, and then burst into one of his rather too-frequent, too-hearty laughs. "Well, I'm----" he began his favorite phrase of ejaculation, and then stopped to look down again into th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41   42   43   44   45   46   47  
48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Allison

 

Dexter

 
twenty
 

turned

 

Stephen

 
instant
 

unnoticed

 
inferred
 
answered
 

instrumental


moment
 

inclined

 

reluctance

 

deliberation

 

hugged

 

reasonless

 

question

 

friend

 

teeming

 
activity

present
 

arousing

 

soberly

 
drawled
 
gasped
 

inscrutable

 

smaller

 
phrase
 

favorite

 

ejaculation


stopped
 

laughs

 

frequent

 
hearty
 

acquaintance

 

exclaimed

 

offered

 

violent

 

fingers

 
closed

annoyed

 
fashion
 

surprised

 
sister
 
coming
 

recovered

 
unvaried
 

formula

 

greeting

 
countered