n the shelter of him. An
unusually stiff squall blew about them and thrummed overhead in the
tree-tops and both paused to listen. A shower of flying leaves
enveloped them, and hard on the heel of the wind came driving drops of
rain. He looked down on her and on her hair wind-blown about her face;
and because of her closeness to him and of a fresher and more poignant
realization of what she meant to him, he trembled so that she was aware
of it in the hand that held hers.
She suddenly leaned against him, bowing her head until it rested
lightly upon his breast. And so they stood while another squall, with
flying leaves and scattered drops of rain, rattled past. With equal
suddenness she lifted her head and looked at him.
"Do you know," she said, "I prayed last night about you. I prayed that
you would fail, that you would lose everything everything."
Daylight stared his amazement at this cryptic utterance. "That sure
beats me. I always said I got out of my depth with women, and you've
got me out of my depth now. Why you want me to lose everything, seeing
as you like me--"
"I never said so."
"You didn't dast say you didn't. So, as I was saying: liking me, why
you'd want me to go broke is clean beyond my simple understanding.
It's right in line with that other puzzler of yours, the
more-you-like-me-the-less-you-want-to-marry-me one. Well, you've just
got to explain, that's all."
His arms went around her and held her closely, and this time she did
not resist. Her head was bowed, and he had not see her face, yet he
had a premonition that she was crying. He had learned the virtue of
silence, and he waited her will in the matter. Things had come to such
a pass that she was bound to tell him something now. Of that he was
confident.
"I am not romantic," she began, again looking at him as he spoke.
"It might be better for me if I were. Then I could make a fool of
myself and be unhappy for the rest of my life. But my abominable
common sense prevents. And that doesn't make me a bit happier, either."
"I'm still out of my depth and swimming feeble," Daylight said, after
waiting vainly for her to go on. "You've got to show me, and you ain't
shown me yet. Your common sense and praying that I'd go broke is all
up in the air to me. Little woman, I just love you mighty hard, and I
want you to marry me. That's straight and simple and right off the
bat. Will you marry me?"
She shook her head slowly,
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