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There was a moment's pause, then Norine inquired, curiously: "What is the trouble? You'd better 'fess up"
Branch struggled with hi to You can see nohy I didn't go to a doctor: I did it--shot ive me away?"
"Why--I don't understand"
"Oh, I'et away, and this was all I could think of I wanted to blow a real hole through myself and I tried three times But I missed myself"
"Missed yourself? How? Why?"
Branch wiped the sweat froer"
Norine seated herself weakly; she stared in bewilderment at the unhappy speaker "Afraid? You, El De!"
"Say! You don't believe all that stuff, do you? I'm afraid of my shadow and always have been I' to die and it scared s quickly I couldn't bear to die slowly, to KNOW that I was dying by inches But, Lord! It scared ht all the tiives oes off God! how I've suffered! I went crazy at our first engagement--crazy with fear I didn't knohere I was, or what happened, or anything Afterward, when they hailed , that everybody htened I was After a time I saw that I'd fooled them, and that shamed me Then--I had to keep it up or become ridiculous But it nearly killedthe truth, I'm not sure you're such a coward as you make out," Norine said
"Oh yes, I am Wait! Before I knew it I had a reputation Then I had to live up to it" The speaker groaned "It wasn't so bad as long as I felt sure I was going to die, anyhow, but when I discovered I was getting well--" Branch raised a pair of tragic eyes, his tone changed "I'll tell you what cured s died fro as there was a Spaniard in the sah if I tried I got strong I slept well And EAT? Huh! I gobbled ed to the others I began to enjoy myself--to have fun Life opened up nice and rosy I fell in love withThen I didn't want to die--never had, you understand, except to cheat the bugs; it gave , to be healthy and free from pain, to tear my food like a wild anie and wonderful I was drunk with it To think of being cut down, crippled, reduced to the useless,I had been, was intolerable I ice as scared then as I'd ever been, for I had more to lose You understand? I forced s expected of --natural pride, I suppose--but when they weren't looking, oh, how I dogged it! I crawled on my belly and hid in holes like a snake"