, 1925-04-01
CHAPTER V-Continued

Selma opened McBride's grammar.
'Ahem!" a school-teacherly cough.
Now, then. we'll parse this sentence:
Blucher arrived on the field of Water
100 just as Wellington was receiving
the last onslaught of Napoleon. Just
may be treated as a modifier Of the de
pendent clause. That is: Just means
at the time at which. Well. Just here
modifies at the time. And Wellington
is the ...
This for half an hour. Selma kept
ner eyes resolutely on the book. His
rOice went on with the dry business of
parsing and its deep struck
4 response from her as n harp re-
spends when a hand is swept over Its
strings. Selma kept her eyes reso-
lutely oil the book. Yet she saw, as
though her eyes rested on them, his
large, strong hands. On the backs of
deepened at his wrists. Heavier and
1arker at the wrists. She found her
self praying a little for strengthen
strength against this horror and wick
edness. This sin, this abomlnation
that held her. A terrible, stark and
pitiful prayer. couched In the idiom of
the Bible.
"Oh. God, keep my eyes and my
thoughts away from him. Away from
his hands. Let me keep ny eyes and
my thoughts way from the golden
hairs on his wrists. Let me not think
of his wrists. . "The owner of the
southwest quarter sells a strip 20 rods
wide along the south side of his farm.
How much does he receive at $3.50 per
acre?'
He %triumphed in this transaction,
began the struggle with the square
root OF $40. Square roots agonized
him. She washed the slate clean with
her little sponge. He was leaning
close in his effort to comprehend the
iendish little figures that marched so
tractably under Sellna's mastery pen
ell.
She took II up, gllbly. "The remain
der must contain twice the product of
the tens by the units plus the square
Of the units" lie blinked.
She was breathing rather fast. The
Gre In the kitchen stove snapped and
cracked. Now, then, suppose you do
hat for me. Wen wipe 1t out. There {!
What must the remainder containT"
He tool 1t up. slowly, haltingly.
The house nj terribly still except for
the mans voice. The remainder .
twice . . product tens . . &.
units . :" A something In his voice
"a note-a tlmbre. She felt herself
swaylng queerly. AS though the whole
house were gently rocking. Little de-
llcious agonlzlng shlvers chased each
other, hot and cold. up her arms. down
her legs. over her spine. plus
the square OF the units is the same as
the sum twice the tens twice
. the tens . the tens" His
voice stopped.
Sellna's eyes leaped from the book
to his hands. uncontrollnbly. Some
thing about them startled her. They
we're clenched fists. Her eyes now
lcaped from those clenched fists to the
face OF the man beside her. Her head
came up. and back. Her Wide. startled
eyes met his. His were n blaze OF
binding blue In his tanned face. Some
corner OF her mind that was still work.
Ing clearly noted this. Then his hands
u~nclcnched. The blue blaze scorched
her. enveloped her. Her cheek knew
the harsh. cool feel OF u mans cheek.
She sensed the potent. terrifying.
pungcnt odor OF close contnct-n mix.
ture OF tobacco smoke. his hair. fresh
iy Numbered linen, an lndefnnble
body smell. II was a mlngllng that
Disguised and attracted her. She was
Mt once repealed and drawn. Then she
felt his lips on hers and her own. In
eredlbly. responding eagerly. wholly to
that pressure.