Prev | Current Page 608 | Next

Various

"The Best Short Stories of 1921 and the Yearbook of the American Short Story"

"
There was silence, and I heard their footsteps going to their rooms.
The next day Deolda went to walk, and back she came, old Conboy driving
her in his motor. Old Conboy was rich; he had one of the first motors on
the Cape, when cars were still a wonder. After that Deolda went off in
Conboy's motor as soon as her dishes were done and after supper there
would be handsome Johnny Deutra. We were profoundly shocked. You may be
sure village tongues were already busy after a few days of these goings
on.
"Deolda," my aunt said, sternly, "what are you going out with that old
Conboy for?"
"I'm going to marry him," Deolda answered.
"You're _what_?"
"Going to marry him," Deolda repeated in her cool, truthful way that
always took my breath.
"Has he asked you?" my aunt inquired, sarcastically.
"No, but he will," said Deolda. She looked out under her long, slanting
eyes that looked as if they had little red flames dancing in the depths
of them.
"But you love Johnny," my aunt went on.
She nodded three times with the gesture of a little girl.
"Do you know what you're headed for, Deolda?" said my aunt. "Do you know
what you're doing when you talk about marrying old Conboy and loving
that handsome, no-account kid, Johnny?"
We were all three sitting on the bulkheads after supper.


Pages:
596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620