“It may seem much to you,” said the Harvester; “to me it appears only
a gracious act, from a wonderful woman, if you will give me freely, one
real kiss. I've never had one, save from a Dream Girl, Ruth, and you
will have to make yours pretty good if it is anything like hers. You are
woman enough to know that most men crush their brides in their arms and
take a thousand. I'll put my hands behind me and never move a muscle,
and I won't ask for more, if you will crown my wedding day with only one
touch of your lips. Will you kiss me just once, Ruth?”
The Girl lifted a piteous face down which big tears suddenly rolled.
“Oh Man, you shame me!” she cried. “What kind of a heart have I that it
fails to respond to such a plea? Have I been overworked and starved so
long there is no feeling in me? I don't understand why I don't take you
in my arms and kiss you a hundred times, but you see I don't. It doesn't
seem as if I ever could.”
“Never mind,” said the Harvester gently. “It was only a fancy of mine,
bred from my dream and unreasonable, perhaps. I am sorry I mentioned it.
The sun is on the stoop now; I want you to enter your home in its light.
Come!”
He half lifted her from the bench. “I am going to help you up the
drive as I used to assist mother,” he said, fighting to keep his voice
natural. “Clasp your hands before you and draw your elbows to your
sides. Now let me take one in each palm, and you will scoot up this
drive as if you were on wheels.”
“But I don't want to 'scoot',” she said unsteadily. “I must go slowly
and not miss anything.”
“On the contrary, you don't want to do any such thing----you should
leave most of it for to-morrow.”
“I had forgotten there would be any to-morrow. It seems as if the day
would end it and set me adrift again.”
“You are going to awake in the gold room with the sun shining on your
face in the morning, and it's going to keep on all your life. Now if
you've got a smile in your anatomy, bring it to the surface, for just
beyond this tree lies happiness for you.”
His voice was clear and steady now, his confidence something contagious.
There was a lovely smile on her face as she looked at him, and stepped
into the line of light crossing the driveway; and then she stopped
and cried, “Oh lovely! Lovely! Lovely!” over and over. Then maybe the
Harvester was not glad he had planned, worked unceasingly, and builded
as well as he knew.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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