“Katie, dear,” he said simply as his grip tightened on the capable little fingers, “I—I want to tell you that I love you very, very dearly.”
“Oh—Howard—” She hung her head.
“Do you—like me—a little?” He lifted her chin, and looked into her eyes.
“Of course—I like you!” She was blushing rosy red. “But not a little! I—I like you a whole lot.”
“You darling!” His arms went out to draw her to him. They were in a secluded spot, but it would have made no difference to Howard Benton had they been in the open. “You darling—little girl—I—I’m just crazy about you!”
“Howard—someone might see you,” the girl demurred, but her sigh of happiness contradicted her speech as she snuggled closer to him. “Gee, but I’m happy you love me!”
“I’ve loved you since the first moment I met you, Katie—but I was afraid you might not care about me.”
“Ain’t that funny now! I loved you too, from the start. It must abeen love at first sight,” she giggled. “Only I was afraid a swell educated fellow like you wouldn’t notice an ignorant girl like me.”
“You’re sweet and good—and I love you, dear.” He kissed her. “And after we’re married, I’ll spend a lot of time teaching you, and in a short time you won’t know yourself.”
“Gee, that’ll be great! Ain’t it a shame I never went to school much? I had to work ever since I was a kid.”