And then I
saw her wink slyly at Bob Wade. Then Kittie and I became the needle's
eye and she worked it so we caught Bob Wade and Virginia, even though it
was necessary to wait a moment after the word "you"--she meant to do it!
As Bob's lips met Virginia's I groaned, and turning my back on Kittie
Fleming, I rushed out of the room. Judge Stone tried to stop me.
5
"Jake, Jake!" Judge Stone whispered in my ear, looking anxiously around,
"have you seen the governor in the last half or three-quarters of
an hour?"
"He hain't been in here," I said, jerking away from him.
"Sure?" he persisted. "I've looked everywhere except in his office where
he put the money--and that's locked."
I broke away from him and went out. I had no desire to see Governor
Wade or any one else. I wanted to be alone. I had seen Virginia kissed
by Bob Wade--and they were still singing that sickish play in there.
They would be kissing and kissing all the rest of the night. She to be
kissed in this way, and I had been so careful of her, when I was all
alone with her for days, and would have given my right hand for a kiss!
It was terrible. I walked back and forth in the yard, and then came up
on the porch and sat down on a bench, so as to hear the play-singing.
They were singing _The Gay Balonza-Man_, now. I started up once to walk
home, but I thought that Judge Stone was paying me wages for guarding
the county's money, and turned to go back where I could watch the games,
lured by a sort of fascination to see how many times Virginia would
allow herself to be kissed.
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