A Touch of Sun, and Other StoriesFoote, Mary Hallock
General
A Touch of Sun, and Other Stories
Foote, Mary Hallock
United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
"But if Michael did not know it," she mused, with a piteous blush, "then
Cecil Harshaw must have sent me that money himself--the insolence! And
after that to ask me to marry him!"
Men were fearfully primitive still, after all that we had done for them, I
reminded her, especially in their notions of love-making. Their intentions
were generally better than their methods. No great harm had been done,
for that matter. A letter, if written that night, would reach Mr. Michael
Harshaw at his ranch not later than the next night. All these troubles
could wait till the real Mr. Harshaw had been heard from. My husband would
see that her letter reached him promptly, and in the mean time Mr. Cecil
need not be told that we were proving his little story.
I was forced to humor her own theory of her case; but I have no idea,
myself, that Cecil Harshaw has not told the truth. He does not look like
a liar, to begin with, and how silly to palm off an invention for to-day
which to-morrow would expose!
Tom is still talking and talking. I really must interfere and give Mr.
Cecil a chance to go. It is quite too late to look for the other one. If he
comes at this hour, there is nothing he can do but go to bed.
... Well, the young man has gone, and Tom is shutting up the house, and I
hope the bride is asleep, though I doubt it. Have I told you how charming
she is? Not so discouragingly tall or so classic as the Du Maurier goddess,
but "comfy," much more "comfy," to my mind. Her nose is rudimentary,
rather, which doesn't prevent her having a mind of her own, though noses
are said to have it all to say as to force of character. Her upper lip has
the most fascinating little pout; her chin is full and emotional--but these
are emotional times; and there is a beautiful finish about her throat and
hands and wrists. She looks more dressed in a shirt-waist, in which she
came down to dinner, her trunk not having come, than some of us do in the
best we have. Her clothes are very fresh and recent, to a woman of Idaho;
but she does not wear her pretty ears "cachées," I am glad to say. They are
very pretty, and one--the left one--is burned pure crimson from sitting
next the window of her section all the way from Omaha.
But why do I write all this nonsense at twelve o'clock at night, when all
I need say by way of description is that we want her to stay with us,
indefinitely if necessary, and let her countrymen and lovers go to--their
ranch on the Snake River!
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Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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