And it was with a greater effort than seemed
reasonable that she laid her fingers on his arm and said, "Thank you,
Dave."
"What for?" he asked, and she could not doubt the genuineness of his
question.
"Why, for bringing the doctor, and all that. Driving all night on
those awful roads. We fell off them in day time. I am sure I
can't--Father won't be able to--"
"Oh, shucks," he interrupted, with a manner which, on the previous
afternoon, she would have called rudeness. "That's nothin'. But say,
I brought home some grub. The chuck here was pretty tame; guess you
found that out last night." He looked about the room, and she knew
that he was taking note of her house-cleaning, but he made no remark on
the subject.
"Well, let's get breakfast," she said, after a moment's pause, and for
lack of other conversation. "You must be hungry."
Dave's purchases had been liberal. They included fresh meat and
vegetables, canned goods, coffee, rice and raisins. He laid the last
three items on the table with a great dissembling of indifference, for
he was immensely proud of them. They were unwonted items on the Elden
bill of fare; he had bought them especially for her. From somewhere
the knowledge had been borne in upon him that city people frequently
drink coffee for breakfast, and the rice and raisins were an
inspiration quite his own. He would see what she could do with them.
But she busied herself at the breakfast without a thought of the
epoch-marking nature of these purchases.
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