“And after?”
There was a hot glow in his tone. He waited. Then he went on.
“Then I’ll have done everything,” he said––“all that a man can do to make you happy. I’ll have fulfilled all my promises. I’ll––And you?” he went on, coming close up to her.
This time she did not repulse him. Instinct told her that she must not. Before all things she wanted Vada. So his arms closed about her, and a shower of hot, passionate kisses fell upon her face, her hair, her lips.
At last she pushed him gently away. For the moment all the old passion had been stirred, but now, as she released herself, an odd shiver passed through her body, and a great relief came to her as she stood out of his reach. It was the first real, definite feeling of repulsion she had had, and as she realized it a sudden fear gripped her heart, and she longed to rush from his presence. But, even so, she did not fully understand the change that was taking place in her. Her predominating thought was for the possession of little Vada, and she urged him with all the intensity of her longing.
“You’ll get her for me?” she cried, with an excitement that transfigured her. “You will. Oh, Jim, I can never thank you sufficiently. You are good to me. And when will you get her––now? Oh, Jim, don’t wait. You must do it now. I want her so badly. I wonder how you’ll do it. Will you take her? Or will you ask Zip for her? I––I believe he would give her up. He’s such a queer fellow. I believe he’d do anything I asked him. I sure do. How are you going to get her?”
The man was watching her with all the fire of his love in his eyes. It was a greedy, devouring gaze of which Jessie must have been aware had she only been thinking less of her child. Nor did he answer at once. Then slowly the passionate light died out of his eyes, and they became thoughtful.
“Tell me,” the woman urged him.
Suddenly he looked into her face with a cruel grin.
“Sit down, Jess,” he said sharply, “and write a letter to Zip asking him, in your best lingo, to let you have your kid. An’ when you done that I’ll see he gets it, an’––I’ll see you get the kid. But make the letter good an’ hot. Pile up the agony biz. I’ll fix the rest.”