By her quick breathing and
the bit of tenseness that had gathered about her mouth he knew
that the exertion she had already been put to was having its
effect on her. For her little feet and slender body the big
moccasins and cumbersome fur garments she wore were a burden in
themselves, even at a walk. He found that by holding her higher in
his arms, with her own arms encircling his shoulders, it was
easier to run with her at the pace he had set for himself. And
when he held her in this way her hair covered his breast and
shoulders so that now and then his face was smothered in the
velvety sweetness of it. The caress of it and the thrill of her
arms about him spurred him on. Once he made three hundred yards.
But he was gulping for breath when he stopped. That time Celie
compelled him to let her run a little farther, and when they
paused she was swaying on her feet, and panting. He carried her
only a hundred and fifty yards in the interval after that. Both
realized what it meant. The pace was telling on them.
Pages:
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219