FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   150   151   >>   >|  
ver leave you--never! Don't cry!" She drew his head down and kissed his lips, then turned her face to his breast--then joy and confidence came back to her. "I know now what you meant," she cried, gayly, raising herself and looking into his face; "you were trying to scare me; trying to make me show how much I--cared for you--first!" There was a soft smile on her lips and a tender light in her eyes. "But I don't mind it." "I guess I didn't know myself what I meant," he answered, with a grave smile. When Mrs. Welsh came in, they were sitting on the sofa, talking in low voices of their future. He was grave and subdued, while she was radiant with love and hope. The future had no terrors for her, but the boy unconsciously felt the gravity of life somehow deepened by the revelation of her love. "Why, Maud!" Mrs. Welsh exclaimed, "what are you doing?" "Oh, mother, I'm so happy--just as happy as a bird!" she cried, rushing into her mother's arms. "Why, why!--what is it? You're crying, dear!" "No, I'm not; I'm laughing--see!" Mrs. Welsh turned her dim eyes on the girl, who shook the tears from her lashes with the action of a bird shaking water from its wings. She seemed to shake off her trouble at the same moment. Mrs. Welsh understood perfectly. "I'm very glad, too, dearie," she said, simply, looking at the young man with motherly love irradiating her worn face. Albert went to her, and she kissed him, while the happy girl put her arms about them both in an ecstatic hug. "_Now_ you've got a son, mother." "But I've lost a daughter--my first-born." "Oh, wait till you hear our plans! He's going to settle down here--aren't you, Albert?" Then she went away and left the young people alone. They had a sweet, intimate talk of an hour, full of plans and hopes and confidences, and then he kissed his radiant love good-night, and, going into his own room, sat down by the stove and there pondered on the change that had come into his life. Already he sighed with the stress of care, the press of thought, which came upon him. The longing uneasiness of the boy had given place to another unrest--the unrest of the man who must face the world in earnest now, planning for food and shelter. To go back to school was out of the question. To expect help from his father, overworked and burdened with debt, was impossible. He must go to work, and go to work to aid _her_. A living must be wrung from this town. All the home a
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   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   150   151   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

mother

 

kissed

 
future
 

unrest

 

turned

 
radiant
 

Albert

 
people
 
intimate
 

daughter


settle
 

ecstatic

 

earnest

 

planning

 

shelter

 

overworked

 

burdened

 

impossible

 

father

 
school

question
 

expect

 

uneasiness

 
pondered
 
living
 

change

 

thought

 
longing
 

Already

 

sighed


stress
 

confidences

 

sitting

 
answered
 

talking

 

terrors

 

unconsciously

 

voices

 

subdued

 
tender

breast

 
confidence
 

raising

 
gravity
 
trouble
 

action

 
shaking
 

moment

 

understood

 
simply