The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1907-02-28

81 Never Would Have Given You Up
I'm Never Going To-"
opening she again astounded him by
greeting him with every manifestation
of. surprise, from the first nervous
start to the pushing up of her dark
brows.
why" she began, how did you
ever think of coming here?"
But he had twice hurried fruitlessly
this hot morning and he was not again
to be bafled. AS he advanced toward
her, she regarded him with some ap.
%prehension until he stopped a safe six
feet away. She had noted certain
lines of determination in his face.
Nov what's the use of pretending?
what did you run for?"
"I?-run?"
Again the curving black brows went
up in frank surprise.
"Yes.-you run!"
He took a threatening step forward.
and the brows promptly fell to IA sari.
GUS intentness of his face.
What did you do it for?"
She stood up. What did i do IL
did I do it for?"
But his eyes were searching her and
h had to lower her own. Then she
looked up again, and laughed ner-
vously.
Il don't know couldn't help it,"
Again she laughed. "And why did you
run? how did you think of coming
here?"
I'll tell you how, now I've caught
you" He started toward her, but she
was quickly backing away into the
opening of the little park, still laugh.
ing.
Look out for that blow-down back
OF you'll" he called. In the second that
she halted to turn and discover his
trick he had caught her by the arm.
THERE caught you fair-now
what did you run for?"
Il couldn't help it," Her face was
crimson. His own was pale under the
tan. They could hear the beating of
both their hearts. But with his cap
ture made so boldly he was dumb,
knowing not what to say.
The faintest pulling of the impris-
oned arm aroused him.
I'D "a followed you till Christmas
come if you'd kept on. Clear v e the
divide and owe the whole creation.
v would have given you up. I'm
never going to-"
He caught her other wrist and
sought to draw her to him.
With head down she came, slowly,
yielding yet resisting, with little shud-
ders of terror that was yet a strange
delight, with yes that dared give him
but n quick little look, half pleading
and half fear. But then after a few
tense seconds her struggles were all
housed far within his arms; there was
no longer play for the faintest OF
them; and she was strained until she
felt her heart rush out to him as she
had once felt it go to her dream Of a
single love,-with the utter abandon of
the falling water beside them.
His voice came to her in a dull muir.
muir, and the sound of the running
water came, again like the muflad
tinkling of little silver bells in the dis.
lance. Both his arms were strong
about her, and now her own hands
rose in rebellion to meet where the
kerchief was knotted at the back OF
his neck, quite as the hands of the
other woman had r~ebelliously flung
down the scarf from the balcony.
Then the brim of his hat came down
over her hair, and her lips felt his
kiss.
They stood so a long time, it seemed
to them, in the high grass, amid the
w~hite-barked quaking aspens, while a
little wind from the dark pines at their
side, lowered now to a yearning soft
ness, played i've them. They were
aroused at last by a squirrel that ran
halfway down the trunk Of a nearby
spruce to bark Indignantly at them,
believing they menaced his winters
store of spruce piled at the foot
of the tree. With rattle after rattle
his alarm came, until he had the salts
faction Of noting an effect.
me young man put the girl away
from him to look upon her in the new
light that enveloped them both, still
holding her hands.
"There's one good thing about your
marriages,-they marry you for eter
nifty, don't they? That's for ever
only it isn't long enough, even so-not
for me-"
II thought you were never coming
But you said"-he saw the ~futility
of it, however, and kissed her instead
II was afraid of you all this sum
mer," he said.
81 was afraid of you, too"
you got over it yesterday all right
"How?"
"You kissed me-"
"Never-what an awful thing tc
say!"
But you did-twice-don't you re
member?'
ooh, well, it doesn't matter. II
diA it wasn't at all like-like-'