FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   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   >>   >|  
on!" Grandma smiled in spite of herself. There were things she wanted very much to say and other things she wanted very much to ask; but the trunks had to get down to the station and already the afternoon sun was low. The two women worked feverishly and almost in silence so that when the packing was done they might get in the little visit both craved before the months of separation. Nanny finally jumped on the trunks, snapped them shut, locked them and watched the expressman carry them down and out into his waiting dray. Then she sat down with a trembling little laugh. "There--it's over and I'm really going! I have been to just about every country but Japan. I believe father would rather have skipped off alone this time. It seems to be some suddenly important international crisis that we are going over to settle. That's why we are going East the roundabout way. We must stop at Washington for instructions, then again at London and Paris." "Nanny," mused Grandma, "there's a good many years difference in our ages but there's only one woman I ever loved as I love you. I think I might have loved your mother but she died the very first year your father brought her here. And she was ailing when she came. The other woman that meant so much to me used to go traveling too. I always helped her with her packing. Then one day she packed and went away, never to come back." "Was that Cynthia Churchill?" Nan asked gently. "Yes--Cynthia. She was dearer than a sister to me, and neither of us dreamed that a whole wide world would divide us." "Why did she go, Grandma?" "Because a Green Valley man well-nigh broke her heart." "A Green Valley man did--_that_? Oh, dear! And here I have been hoping that some day I might marry a Green Valley man myself." "Nanny, I expect I'm old and foolish but I've been hoping and hoping that you'd marry a home boy and fearing you'd meet up with some one on your travels who would take you away from us forever. It would be hard to see you go." The last sunbeam had faded away and golden twilight filled the room. Outside little day noises were dying out. "Grandma dear, don't you worry about me. I intend to marry a Green Valley man if possible. But even if I didn't I'd always come back to Green Valley." "No, you wouldn't. You couldn't, any more than Cynthia could. Cynthia loved this town better even than you love it. Yet she is lying under strange stars in a fore
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   4   5   6   7   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16   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   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Valley

 

Cynthia

 

Grandma

 

hoping

 

father

 
things
 

wanted

 

packing

 

trunks

 
foolish

expect

 
gently
 

Churchill

 

station

 

afternoon

 

dearer

 

divide

 

sister

 

dreamed

 

Because


wouldn

 

couldn

 

smiled

 

strange

 

intend

 

forever

 

travels

 

sunbeam

 

noises

 

Outside


golden

 
twilight
 

filled

 

fearing

 

packed

 
suddenly
 

important

 

international

 

crisis

 

months


separation

 

jumped

 

finally

 

craved

 

roundabout

 

settle

 
expressman
 

waiting

 

trembling

 

watched