That Girl of Johnson's — page 213: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

- 202 THAT GIRL OF JOHNSON’S. hidden from his sight. One of her slow, radiant smiles broke the sadness of her face as she laid her hand upon the hand on her arm as she said softly, a new intonation even in the low voice: ‘““You mustn’t be so good to me, Charlie; I ought to suf- fer alone sometimes. You cannot realize how much I de- serve it.” He laid his other hand warmly over this soft hand on his arm, a new light on his face, and in his eyes that caused a sudden drooping of the face in the light of the sunset. ‘“You deserve to suffer,” there was an intensity in his voice born from watching the suffering on her face, and from the suffering in his own soul. “ You deserve to suffer, Dolores Johnson. If there is need for your suffering how much more should I suffer who was equal with you in thinking the unkind thoughts, in believing even for one moment the bitter, cruel words uttered against your purity and tenderness by the woman who was in your presence daily, who, watching your sweetness of life, could find it in her heart to utter cruel words to your hurt. I could not help their hold upon me at first, Dolores, but I crushed them out utterly—or your purity and tenderness of life drove them out. How could I, watching your unselfish tenderness and womanly sweetness, hold such thoughts long in my heart? Come away from this terrible place, Dolores—leave all these old bitter memories here in the weird shadows and mists only fit for them, and give your life to my keeping, tell me you love me as I love you—give me the answer to the question I asked so long ago, Lorie, under the light of your heavens, under the tender light of your stars ere you left me for your {new life and possible forgetfulness.” She met his eyes gravely and squarely, though the new light of tenderness was stillin them as she said, slowly, with almost her old slowness: “The happiness of a man’s life does not altogether de- pend on the love of a woman, Charlie.” GEomicbooks.co