With a
tenderness of which she was half-ashamed she filled his wallet
with provisions which would add to his comfort, then, both to his
surprise and her own, kissed him good-by. He left her and the
younger brood with an aching heart of which there was little
outward sign, and with no loftier ambition than to do his duty;
she followed him with deep, wistful eyes till he, and next the
long barrel of his rifle, disappeared in an angle of the road, and
then her interrupted work was resumed.
Susie Rolliffe was returning from an errand to a neighbor's when
she heard the sound of long rapid steps.
A hasty glance revealed Zeb in something like pursuit. Her heart
fluttered slightly, for he had looked so stern and sad of late
that she had felt a little sorry for him in spite of herself. But
since he could "wrastle" with nothing more formidable than a stony
farm, she did not wish to have anything to say to him, or meet the
embarrassment of explaining a tacit estrangement. She was glad,
therefore, that her gate was so near, and passed in as if she had
not recognized him.
Pages:
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435