United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century -- Fiction
Tessie tried some of her old-time pertness of speech. "Oh, good enough,
considerin' the company."
He laughed, admiringly, at that and said she was a card.
When the early evening came on they made a clumsy landing and had
supper. This time Nap fed her the titbits, though she protested. "White
meat for you," he said, "with your skin like milk."
"You must of read that in a book," scoffed Tessie. She glanced around
her at the deepening shadows. "We haven't got much time. It gets dark so
early."
"No hurry," Nap assured her. He went on eating in a leisurely, finicking
sort of way, though he consumed very little food actually.
"You're not eating much," Tessie said once, half-heartedly. She decided
that she wasn't having such a very grand time, after all, and that she
hated his teeth, which were very bad. Now, Chuck's strong, white double
row ...
"Well," she said, "let's be going."
"No hurry," again.
Tessie looked up at that with the instinctive fear of her kind. "What
d'you mean, no hurry! 'Spect to stay here till dark?" She laughed at her
own joke.
"Yes."
She got up then, the blood in her face. "Well, I don't."
He rose, too. "Why not?"
"Because I don't, that's why." She stooped and began picking up the
remnants of the lunch, placing spoons and glass bottles swiftly and
thriftily in the lunch box. Nap stepped around behind her.
"Let me help," he said. And then his arm was about her and his face was
close to hers, and Tessie did not like it. He kissed her after a little
wordless struggle. And then she knew. Tessie's lips were not virgin. She
had been kissed before. But not like this. Not like this! She struck at
him furiously. Across her mind flashed the memory of a girl who had
worked in the finishing room. A nice girl, too. But that hadn't helped
her. Nap Ballou was laughing a little as he clasped her.
At that she heard herself saying: "I'll get Chuck Mory after you--you
drunken bum, you! He'll lick you black and blue. He'll ..."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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