Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-08-11
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But step divided them. That step
she took With a sob of relief she
fell upon his breast, naturally, newt
ably. His splendid arms swept her
close to him. Her own hands met about
his neck. With upturned face she
looked upon him in all the abandon
ment Of perfect passionate surrender.
He bent his head and kissed her, the
first time in all his years that his lips
He chung to her there in that kiss as
II to make up in one moment for all
the neglected possibilities of the past,
as II never in all the bringings forth
OF the future should such another OPP
portunity be afforded him. He felt
for the first time in his life the beat
Of another human heart against his
own, the rise and fall of another hui
man breast, the throbbing of another
human soul. Tighter and tighter
his arms strained her to him. She
gave herself up in that mad, delirious,
awful moment to the full flow Of long
checked passion, and kiss for kiss,
pressure for pressure, and heart beat
for heart beat, she made repsone.
1t was too much. 1t was the man
who broke away. There was nothing
no experience, no remembrance to
teach him. It was all surprise. He
thrust her from him slowly. Her hands
| fingered about his neck, but his back
ward pressure would not be denied
He held her at arms length, her hands
outstretched to him, her bosom pant
ing, her eyes shining, her cheeks
afiame in the gray dawn. Yielding
giving up to him absolutely, yet some
thing, the magnificent metal Of the
man, the restraints through which he
had gone, the long battles with his
own passion, rose to his soul and gave
him mastery once more.
Woman! woman!" he whispered
no mere local name would represent
her now. She was humanity to him
Woman" he whispered, my God
| my Ged!"
He turned away, sank down on one
of the great bouldeTs that he ha(
thrown aside and buried his face II
his hands, his body shaking with emo
tions he could scarce define but wei
understood. The woman threw hersel
down on her knees before him ant
took him once more in her arms.
MAN" she said, II love you'll"
She drew his hands away from hi
, face; she laid her own face in hi
bleeding palm and kissed It.
Man." she said, her lips wet wit
his own blood in a sort of wild, bal
. barrie sacrament, imam, I love you'll"
: He stared at her as one distraught
He had dreamed Of this. he had imal
, ined It, he had prayed for it, he ha
/ hoped for It, but no revelation tina
had come TO him in the years Of thei
association equaled in its blindin
I brilliancy, in its intense illumination
! the revelation in that woman's voic'
/. in that woman's eyes, In that woman
| touch.
b MAN." she said again, II love yol
4 Do you understand Do you kno'
: what it meansY
Then he found mis- voice. He too
) her hand and pressed it against hi
:. heart.
I 81 know" he whispered. 81 unde
d stand here"
/ He rose to his feet, stopped. caugI
4 her by the shoulders and lifted her
y his level. A piece Of rock Ill ba
1 anced on the edge of the cliff fe
e crashing The place was dangerou
e WitEaut word he slipped his arr
/ beneath her, lifted her up as he migl
T. have done a child and carried her OF
upon the sand away from the bestlir