two shadows; and the sunlight was so mildly warm, the air was so sweet
and pure, and the little wind that hushed by from the mountains was a
tender and a peaceful wind.
XIII
After that day Mary Makebelieve met her new friend frequently.
Somehow, wherever she went, he was not far away; he seemed to spring
out of space--one moment she was alone watching the people passing and
the hurrying cars and the thronged and splendid shop windows, and then
a big voice was booming down to her and a big form was pacing
deliberately by her side. Twice he took her into a restaurant and gave
her lunch. She had never been in a restaurant before, and it seemed to
her like a place in fairyland. The semi-darkness of the retired rooms
faintly colored by tiny electric lights, the beautifully clean tables
and the strange foods, the neatly dressed waitresses with quick, deft
movements and gravely attentive faces--these things thrilled her. She
noticed that the girls in the restaurant, in spite of their gravity
and industry, observed both herself and the big man with the minutest
inspection, and she felt that they all envied her the attentions of so
superb a companion. In the street also she found that many people
looked at them, but, listening to his constant and easy speech, she
could not give these people the attention they deserved.
When they did not go to the Park they sought the most reserved streets
or walked out to the confines of the town and up by the River Dodder.
There are exquisitely beautiful places along the side of the Dodder:
shy little harbors and backwaters, and now and then a miniature
waterfall or a broad placid reach upon which the sun beats down like
silver. Along the river bank the grass grows rank and wildly
luxurious, and at this season, warmed by the sun, it was a splendid
place to sit. She thought she could sit there forever watching the
shining river and listening to the great voice by her side.
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