FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  
Hemphill, whose watchful eyes were gloating over the scene, then with a beckoning look towards Joyce walked to the back door. Joyce instantly followed her, leaving her escort in low-toned talk with the undertaker. "I can't say a word before her," whispered Lucy with a backward jerk of her thumb, "she tattles so! Nate used to tell me not to. But about--I--I can't send no word. He killed my father? Don't you see? _He killed my father._" There was such an intensity of trouble and despair in the whisper that it started tears in the eyes of Joyce. "I can only repeat, my dear, it was not intentional. He was beside himself with trouble and passion; and it was all for you." "Yes, but 'twas awful, awful! Pa was the red-mad kind, you see; so hot and spunky you couldn't do nothing but run from it. You knew it didn't mean much--just a tantrum that he'd come out of slick enough byme-by, and then be good as pie to make up. But Nate's! 'Twas the awful white-mad kind. I never saw it in him before, and I could see it meant a whole lot. It scared all my scare about pa right out of me. It--I can't tell you how it made me feel! 'Twas like seeing into the bad place, I guess. I knew something had got to break, and it did. 'Twas poor pa's skull. How can I dare to say good words to Nate, when _he_ lies like that in there?" She pointed backward with a gesture that was tragic in its simplicity, and Joyce could scarcely find words for further argument. But her keen sympathy was with Nate. She had that rare tenderness which goes with acute perceptions, and cannot be complete without them. She could put herself in another's place and actually feel another's woes. She felt poor Tierney's so strongly that she sent up a prayer for guidance before answering, very softly, "My child, Christ forgave from the very cross." "But you see I can't _forgive_, because--Oh, you don't know, you don't know. I'm so awful, so wicked!" She pressed her clasped hands before her mouth as if to shut something back, while Joyce gazed at her, perplexed and uncomprehending. "You can't forgive, Lucy? Perhaps not, just yet. But you can pity. Let me at least tell poor Nate that you are sure he would not have done it only in great anger, and you'll try to forgive him. Mayn't I say that?" "Y-yes, make it up any way you like only--only----" "Only what, Lucy?" But the girl shook her head. "I can't tell you. You don't understand. Just say anything you want t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138  
139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
forgive
 

trouble

 

killed

 

backward

 

father

 
prayer
 
Tierney
 

guidance

 
strongly
 

answering


forgave

 

Christ

 
tattles
 

softly

 
argument
 

sympathy

 
scarcely
 
tragic
 

simplicity

 

tenderness


complete

 

perceptions

 

Hemphill

 

understand

 

clasped

 

pressed

 

gesture

 

wicked

 

Perhaps

 

perplexed


uncomprehending

 
beckoning
 

spunky

 

couldn

 

escort

 
leaving
 

tantrum

 
walked
 

repeat

 
intentional

started
 

whisper

 
instantly
 
intensity
 

passion

 

undertaker

 
whispered
 

despair

 
watchful
 

gloating