Patty Blossom Part 42

"My Love, my Patty Blossom!" he murmured, and then, with his first kiss on her quivering, scarlet lips, Patty knew that she "cared for" this big, tender giant, with her whole heart, and she began to realise how he loved her.

"Patty! darling! I have loved you so long, but I had no idea what it would mean to know you love me!"

"What does it mean?" she said, softly.

"It means heaven! Great, blue, suns.h.i.+ny, cloudless heaven! Oh, my little girl, I can't tell you all it means, there aren't any words big enough. You do love me, don't you? How do you know you do?"

"Because I jumped," and the blue eyes smiled at him. "I jumped because I couldn't help it."

"You jumped because you loved me! I oughtn't to have let you do it; good gracious, Patty, you might have broken yourself to bits! I spoke from impulse."

"And I jumped from impulse. And,--I'm glad I did!"

"You little Love! Are you? Patty, how can you love a great, uncouth man like me?"

"You're not uncouth, Little Billee, and you only said that to be contradicted! But I do contradict it. You're not big and uncouth at all. Well, I s'pose you _are_ big,--but it's a nice, cunning little bigness----"

"There, there, that'll be about all of that! Now, tell me why you ran away from me."

"I didn't know at the time. But I know now."

"You do? Why, then?

"Because I was in love with you, and I was afraid you'd find it out."

"But you didn't know it yourself?"

"N--no; that is, I wouldn't own up to it to myself, and I was awfully afraid myself would find it out."

"You little goose----"

"Blossom goose?"

"Yes. Blossom goose,--Blossom girl,--Oh, Patty Blossom, how _can_ I make you have a glimmer of a gleam of an idea how I love you!"

"Little Billee! if you give me all your kisses now, what shall we do all the rest of our lives?"

"Poor little Apple Blossom! Am I a big bear? Well, sit beside me here on this cosy sofa place, and I'll tell you what we'll do all the rest of our lives."

And so enchanted was Patty with the plans unfolded for her, that it was more than an hour later that she remembered to ask, "Why did you give Daisy the books you bought for me?"

"Shall I tell you, dear? I told you at the time I had a reason.

Because, just then, something in your eyes gave me hope, gave me a tiny hint of hope that you would take _my_ set of Riley books and me along with it!"

"Oh, Little Billee! Did I really throw myself at your head?"

"No, Patty; no, my child, never think for a minute you did that! But you gave me a look that made me feel emboldened to throw myself at your feet. Then you ran away before I could do so."

"Yes, I was afraid you would. How did you know I was here?"

"Didn't know it; but I thought it the most likely place. How the Kenerleys fooled me! I owe Jim one for that!"

"No, you don't! They only did what I made them do. I vowed I wouldn't see you, and they must not let you know I was here."

"Did you think you could elude me long, Sweetheart?"

"I don't know what I thought----"

"You were afraid to look in your own heart, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was. But I'm not now."

"No, you don't seem to be! For a newly engaged young person you take to it like a duck to water."

"Only because it's _you_. I wouldn't with anybody else."

"I should hope not! And you're not afraid of me any more?"

"'Perfect love casteth out fear.'"

"Oh, Blossom, you do say the sweetest things! And do you forgive me my horrid ostentation?"

"You must forgive _me_ for that, Little Billee. I had no business to act so."

"You were all right, dear. I'm not to the money born, you know. And when I was successful, financially, I had _no_ thought but of pleasure it might give you. But I expressed myself unfortunately. I'm not a 'society man,' Patty."

"You're the dearest man in all the world. My big, beautiful Sir Galahad. My own Little Billee."

"Haven't you two got engaged yet?" called Adele, plaintively, through the keyhole. "You've been two hours at it! Come on out, and let us help."

"Run away and play," called back Farnsworth, but Patty released herself from his clasping arms, and said, "It hasn't been two hours, any such thing, Adele; but we will come out now. We've been engaged a long time."

Big Bill rose, towering above his little fiancee.

"You little sc.r.a.p of loveliness!" he exclaimed, "what have you done to me, to bewitch me so? You were always beautiful, but now you're--you're----"

"Well, what?" and Patty's radiant face looked up lovingly into his own.

"There are no words dear enough," and Farnsworth's voice thrilled with love and reverence, "no terms sweet enough, but just,--my Patty Blossom."