Weaker than a Woman — page 26: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a Ke “spo ee | ie Se saa WEAKER THAN A WOMAN. 17 pearls. My darling, you should have everything that your heart desires.” She touched his face gently with her dainty hands. “You would buy the moon for me if I wanted it, and you could obtain it,” she said, laughingly. ‘“ But, Felix, I do not want the moon, and I do not want to be married. Do talk of something more pleasant.” : “Violet, my heart is so full of this; it seemed to me as I came along that I walked on air. I have loved you so long; I have no life apart from you; and I have been wait- ing so impatiently until I could see a chance of making a beautiful home for you. Now, I see it—do not be cruel to me, Violet, | implore you.”’ “Tt is you who are cruel to shadow this fair day by talk- ing of love and marriage, Felix.” The words sounded hard and cold, but there was no cold- ness on her fair face. “You know that I have loved you, Violet, ever since we were children.” : “Yes, I know it. I should know it—you tell me so every ay. 79 * And you—you have had admirers of every kind, I be- lheve, dark and fair, tall and short; but, Violet, you love me best, do you not?” The lovely face drooped over a bunch of wild thyme. She did not answer; but he persisted in his questioning. “You love me best, do you not? Oh, my darling, bea little kind to me !” There was such passionate love in his handsome eyes, such passionate pain in his face, that she was touched. “Yes, I do love you, Felix,” she said, gently; and then she looked up in alarm. He had clasped her hands in his and covered them with kisses; his dark eyes were dim with tears. “Oh, my love,” he cried, “you hold my heart in the hol- low of yourhand. If you had said you did not love me, the words would have killed me as surely as ever a man was slain. My darling, do you not see that if you love me you must of necessity be my wife? You must of necessity be my wife,’’ repeated Felix, ‘or what is the use of love ?” “It is pleasant,” she replied; “still, marriage—well, Felix, you will laugh if I tell you that it seems to me like calling a child into a gloomy house from the sunshine and from play.” “That is not a pleasant comparison, Violet, my darling,” he remarked, smiling. “You will be very happy. Now =Eomichbooks.¢co