Page:War; or, What happens when one loves one's enemy, John Luther Long, 1913.djvu/68

WAR "Me! Now do you want to talk a little more of love—my kind of love? Or do you prefer—war! Never speak of love to me again till you are one of my kind."

She got so jerky and crazy that Jon was scared.

"Kushy, kushy!" he kept saying.

"I'll make a bargain with you," she laughs to Jon, crazy, and stooping and looking like a young devil in his face, "I don't love you; I can't lie. But I do want you! I can't love any one or anything called Union, Republican or Northern. But I'll marry you if you'll take the place of my father. Do you understand? I can put you right through the lines to Lee without risk. What do you say? Here's the price of one traitor! I! I'll be your wife—your harlot—anything—upon the terms proposed!"

She stood up straight and evil-looking—like pictures of serpents I've seen, charming animals. Then she laughs and is gone.

And Jon was struck so dumb that he didn't 52