Frontier and pioneer life -- Indiana -- Fiction; Historical fiction
The god of Love gave him wings. He was over the fence, she was in
his arms, and he was straining the warm, pliant body close to his
bursting breast. His lips were on hers. He felt her stiffen and
then relax in swift surrender. Her heart, stilled at first, began
to beat tumultuously against his breast; her free arm stole about
his neck and tightened as the urge of a sweet, overwhelming passion
swept over her.
At last she released herself from his embrace and stood with bowed
head, her hands pressed to her eyes.
"I didn't mean to do it,--I didn't mean to do this," she was
murmuring.
"You love me,--you love me," he whispered, his voice trembling with
joy. He drew her hands down from her eyes and held them tight in
his own. "Say you do, Viola,--speak the words."
"It must be love," she sighed. "What else could make me feel
as I do now,--as I did when you were holding me,--and kissing me?
Oh,--oh,--yes, I DO love you, Kenny. I know it now. I love you with
all my soul." She was in his arms again. "But," she panted a little
later, "I swear I didn't know it when I came out here, Kenny,--I
swear I didn't."
"Oh, yes, you did," he cried triumphantly. "You've known it all
the time, only you didn't understand."
"I wonder," she mused. Then quickly, shyly: "I had no idea it could
come like this,--that it would BE like this. I feel so queer. My
knees are all trembly,--it's the strangest feeling. Now you must
let me go, Kenny. I must not stay out here with you. It is terribly
late. I--"
"I can't let you go in yet, dearest. Come! We will sit for a
little while on the steps. Don't leave me yet, Viola. It is all so
wonderful, so unbelievable. And to think I was looking up at your
window only a few minutes ago, wishing that you would fly down to
me. Good heavens! It can't be a dream, can it? All this is real,
isn't it?" She laughed softly. "It can't be a dream with me,
because I haven't even been in bed. I've been sitting up there in
my window for hours, looking over at your house. When your light
went out, I was terribly lonely. Yes, and I was a little put out
with you for going to bed. Then I saw you come and lean on the
fence. I knew you were looking up at my window,--and I was sure that
you could see me in spite of the darkness. You never moved,--just
stood there with your elbows on the fence, staring up at me. It
made me very uncomfortable, because I was in my nightgown. So I
made up my mind to get into bed and pull the coverlet up over my
head. But I didn't do it. I put on my dress,--everything,--shoes
and stockings and all,--and then I went back to see if you were
still there. There you were. You hadn't moved. So I sat down again
and watched you. After awhile I--I--well, I just couldn't help
creeping downstairs and coming out to--to say good-bye to you again,
Kenny. You looked so lonesome."
"I was lonesome," he said,--"terribly lonesome."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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