He knew me still as a friend, and not
regarding him as a rival, I treated him as a companion in arms. To be
sure, I could not see where he could be of much assistance; but we had
a common aim and a common foe. That made a bond between us. With that
common foe disposed of, the bond might snap. Till then I was Perry's
friend.
"I agree with you partly," I said. "Still, it seems to me a man should
love a woman for herself--wholly, entirely for herself, and not because
some other fellow has set his heart on her."
"You are right there, in part," Perry answered. "I have set my heart
on a particular young lady, but the fact that another--a lean,
cadaverous fellow with red whiskers and no particular looks or
brains--is slowly pushing himself between us makes it worse. It
aggravates me; it affects my appetite." Perry smiled grimly. "It
drives away sleep. You know how it 'ud have been if that Snyder County
teacher had been livin' in Six Stars when you was keepin' company with
Emily Holmes."
"I don't know how it would have been at all," I retorted hotly.
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