Dixie: A monthly magazine, Vol. I, No. 2, February 1899Various
General
Dixie: A monthly magazine, Vol. I, No. 2, February 1899
Various
American literature -- Southern States -- Periodicals
“I have documentary proof right here,” he laughed, sliding his hand
inside of his coat. The kitten was dry and warm now and it mewed hungrily.
“The dear little thing,” she exclaimed. “Give it to me, won’t you?”
“Indeed I will,” he said fervently. “I am glad to find so safe a
harborage for it. And ten times glad that I had the luck to find it just
in time to give it to you.”
She beamed at him, fondling the wriggling little beast.
“I am going to call it Channoah,” she said, mimicking her childish
pronunciation archly. The maid standing by, and the moving crowd all
about, they stood chatting some minutes. The sunrays danced on the
little waves of the harbor, the soft August weather of the sub-tropical
winter of the southern hemisphere was clear and bright, the yellow walls
of the custom house, of its warehouses, of the arsenal and military
school and the army hospital, strung out along the water-front, with the
bushy-headed leaning rough-trunked palms between and the red tiled roofs
above made a fine background. Beyond and above the round bulging green
Cariocas rose hill behind hill, topped and dominated by the sharpened
camel’s hump of Corcovado. From one of the islands a bugle call blew.
The throng hummed in many tongues. Then John asked:
“And may I hope to see you again before you leave?”
Her expression changed entirely, her face fell and she looked confused.
She said:
“I am afraid not. I quite forgot everything in my pleasure at seeing
a fellow-countryman and an old playmate. I could not deny myself the
indulgence of greeting you and then I quite lost myself, it was so
natural to be with you. But Bertie may be back any minute and it would
never do for him to know I have been talking to you. Please go now.”
Her manner was constrained and her air was resuming that distance and
hauteur which he was used to seeing in her.
“Goodbye,” she said, “and thank you for the kitten.”
John walked quickly to the coffee exchange and from out of the crowd that
filled it he had the satisfaction of seeing Albert Wareham pass and of
knowing that he did not notice him and could not suspect that Milly had
seen him. It was something to have even that secret between himself and
Milly.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account