How are you?" he asked, tenderly, and his voice swept away all her
reserve.
"Oh, Jim, I'm not well. You must take me away, _right off_. I can't stay
here another day--_not a day_."
He looked at her keenly.
"Why? What's the matter?"
She evaded his eyes.
"It's so lonesome here--" Then she dropped all evasion: "You know
why--Jim, take me away. I can't live without you _now_. I'm going to be
sick."
He understood her very well. His eyes fell and his face knotted in
sudden gravity. "I was afraid of that--that's why I came. Yes, you must
get out of here at once."
She understood him. "Oh, Jim, you won't leave me now, will you?"
"No. I didn't say anything about leaving you." He put his arm around
her. "I'm not that kind of a man. You and I were built for each other--I
felt that on that first ride. I guess it's up to me to take you out of
this." He broke off his emotional utterance and grew keen and alert.
"I've been planning to go, and I'm almost ready--in fact, I could leave
now without much loss, but I didn't come prepared for anything so
sudden.
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