Page:The Sick-A-Bed Lady.djvu/238

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THE AMATEUR LOVER

But Drew's big shoulders blocked her frenzied effort to escape.

"Don't go away like that, Little Girl," he said. "You don't understand. It is n't a question of caring. You know I care. But don't you, don't you understand that a man does n't like to marry a woman who does n't love him?"

Her face brightened piteously. "But I will love you?" she protested. "I will love you. I prom ise. I promise you faithfully I will love you if you 11 only give me just a little time. " The old flicker of mischief came back to her eyes, and she began to count on her fingers. "Let me see," she said. "It's June now June, July, August, Sep tember, October, November six months. I promise you that I will love you by November."

"I don't believe it." Drew fairly slashed the words into the air.

Instantly the hurt, frightened look came back to her eyes. "Why, Drew," she whispered, "if it were money that I wanted, if I were starving, or sick, or any all-alone anything, you would n't re fuse to help me just because you could n't possibly see ahead just how I was ever going to pay you. Drew, I'm very unhappy and frightened and lost- feeling. I just want to borrow your love. I prom ise you I will pay it back to you. You won t be

sorry. You won't. You won't !"

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