FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41  
42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   >>   >|  
woman's prerogative to choose her acquaintances. I am grateful for your services tonight, of course; but beyond that---- The fact is, I do not care to know you, Mr. Kendrick. Please put me ashore and say good-bye." A cold fire of resentment burned in Kendrick's eyes as he drove the canoe to the landing with a few skillful strokes. Why had he been so foolish as to tell her his real name? Why didn't she want to know him? Without a word he caught the canoe in one hand and stepped out. He felt along the gunwale to the bow and fastened the painter to an iron ring in the planking, then handed her out safely. He retained his grasp of her hand. "A moment ago you dared me to kiss you," he said gravely. "I am not in the habit of taking dares from anybody." "Let go my hand at once, sir. You know very well you cannot so far forget yourself as to take such a liberty. I dare you to prove yourself no gentleman." "I warn you----!" "I dare you!" "Very well! On your own head be it, then! The boatman is worthy of his hire," he paraphrased and laughingly he seized her in his arms and kissed her. The next instant he received a resounding slap in the face. It had young muscles and indignation behind it and it found him unprepared. He started back automatically, tripped, lost his balance and fell into the water. "Oh, you--you miserable--_fresh Aleck_!" came her mortified cry. She lingered only long enough to make sure that he could swim. As he drew himself out of the water the sound of her running feet died out on the pier. With chattering teeth Kendrick cast loose, seized his paddle and drove it deep into the water. Ye gods, what a fool! Very angry at himself, he set out across the bay once more, guided by the derisive bawling of the fog-horn at the Eastern Gap. CHAPTER III "NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS" At no time had it been Phil Kendrick's habit to entertain an inflated opinion of his own importance. On occasion he had ridden around the gridiron on the shoulders of idolatrous students; but his modesty had been one of the factors underlying his popularity. Despising conceit in others, he was too prone, perhaps, to take himself to task for those little mistakes which every young man is liable to make from time to time. It is safe to say, however, that never in all his life had he arraigned himself upon the carpet of his own condemnation so severely as now while paddling across the bay for
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   17   18   19   20   21   22   23   24   25   26   27   28   29   30   31   32   33   34   35   36   37   38   39   40   41  
42   43   44   45   46   47   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Kendrick

 

seized

 

mortified

 

miserable

 

guided

 

running

 

paddle

 

chattering

 

lingered

 

mistakes


conceit

 

liable

 

severely

 

condemnation

 

paddling

 

carpet

 

arraigned

 

Despising

 
popularity
 

MATTER


HAPPENS

 
CHAPTER
 

bawling

 

derisive

 

Eastern

 

entertain

 

inflated

 

students

 

idolatrous

 
modesty

factors
 

underlying

 

shoulders

 

gridiron

 
importance
 
opinion
 
occasion
 

ridden

 
Without
 

caught


foolish

 

stepped

 

planking

 

handed

 

safely

 

painter

 

fastened

 

gunwale

 

prerogative

 

strokes