Page:The Sick-A-Bed Lady.djvu/243

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THE AMATEUR LOVER

a license. I want to be married right away this afternoon."

"What" Drew hurled the word at her like a bomb, but it did not seem to explode.

Laughingly, flushingly, almost delightedly, she stood and watched the anger rekindle in his face.

"Do you think I am going to take advantage of you like this?" he asked hotly. "would probably change your mind to-morrow and be very, very sorry-"

She tossed her head. It was a familiar little gesture. "I fully and confidently expect to be sorry to-morrow," she affirmed cheerfully. " That s why I want to be married to-day, this afternoon, this minute, if possible, before I have had any chance to change my mind."

Then, with unexpected abruptness, she shook her recklessness aside and walked back to him child ishly, pulling a long, loose wisp of hair across her face. "See," she said. "Smell the smoke in my hair. It s the smoke from my burned bridges. I sat up nearly all night and burned everything I owned, everything that could remind me of Aleck Reese, all my dresses, all my books, all my keep sakes, all my doll houses that ever grew up into dreams. So if you decide to marry me I shall be very expensive. You 11 have to take me just as

I am quite a little bit crumpled, not an extra

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