"Confound it all! Why shouldn't I marry you, Blossom?" he burst out.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen and you look every inch
a lady. If it wasn't for my mother I'd pick you up to-day and carry you
off to Washington."
"Your mother would never give in. There's no use talking about it."
"It isn't her giving in, but her health. You see, she has heart disease,
and any sudden shock brings on one of these terrible attacks that may
kill her. She bears everything like an angel--I never heard a complaint
from her in my life--not even when she was suffering tortures--but the
doctors say now that another failure of her heart would be fatal."
"I know," she admitted softly, "they said that twenty years ago, didn't
they?"
"Well, she's been on her back almost all the time during those twenty
years. It's wonderful what she's borne--her angelic patience. And, of
course her hopes all hang on me now. She's got nobody else."
"But I thought Miss Kesiah was so devoted to her."
"Oh, she is--she is, but Aunt Kesiah has never really understood her.
Just to look at them, you can tell how different they are.
Pages:
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197