Page:Randall Parrish--My Lady of the South.djvu/172

MY LADY OF THE SOUTH the request bringing with it a momentary doubt, as quickly dismissed. Whatever the cause, this girl trusted me, and I would trust her.

"I pledge you my word."

"And I accept it without reserve. I give you my hand in token of the compact."

It was an impulsive, girlish action, yet as I clasped the extended fingers, no such conception came to my mind. All seemed natural enough, and the soft touch of her flesh sent a sudden thrill through me. Only the earnestness of her face held me under restraint, kept me alive to the fact that some grave necessity alone must have led her to this concession. She must have perceived the struggle depicted in my eyes.

"You think me an odd girl, no doubt," she explained quickly, yet in some embarrassment. "And perhaps I am not just like others brought up in social restraint. I have seen more of the primitive, and have always been compelled to act independently. Some time I may tell you about my childhood, and then you will understand better. When other children learn to walk, I was learning to ride and to use firearms; ay! and to distrust strangers. Perhaps that very experience has brought me self-reliance, and an unusual confidence in my own judgment. Am I over bold?"

"Far from it; yet I may be when I say you are my ideal of womanhood."

The quick flush mounted to her hair, her hands clasping.

"Oh, but I did not expect that. What a poor ideal [ 162 ]