THE LAKE
311
own decision. Without being able to see George's face, I knew his
look; the clean sturdiness of
his
pineneedle-green eyes; the drawn
up anticipation of
his
cheeks, that he had when I saw him playing
baseball and his hands were fixed with sureness that he would catch
the ball; the deep brown of his forehead and hair melting imper–
ceptibly together; and the conflict of
his
pressing lips, while his lean
jaws braced, clenched, in a fore-stuck shape; and I could readily
imagine the perspiration swelling out upon his earliest crop of beard,
and swarming upon his hairy chest, where it discoloured the low–
necked yellow shirt he had for hot days and wore with a changeless
lethargy and yet resolution that so well typified
his
character.
"I guess I'll carry you," said George. "I don't see why I couldn't
-I'm strong enough
all
right."
"George, don't. You can fall; and I don't like you to besides."
"Because you'll look like a baby?"
"No. Please don't. Let's go right on like we were; I can make it,
George. We'll be there in a couple of minutes."
George swooped his right arm below my knees, and his left
around my shoulders, and he pulled me up. I protested. He didn't
pay me any attention. He continued straight ahead, over the field,
and only stopping for the big boulders that protruded here and there.
The cows, munching the sparse grass that remained, moved away as
we passed, and I was afraid one would bite me when her tail struck
my foot once. The sun fell with a leering fullness upon my unshel–
tered face. We went along rapidly, and I saw there could be no
purpose in arguing with George, because then he might not take me
rowing; Mamma told
him
to be careful with me, and under no cir–
cumstances let me go onto the water, but George might do that
if
he
thought I behaved wen and I asked in the right way.
We had been advancing gently for about four or five minutes,
when George started to trot. I begged
him
not to.
"Don't think I can run? I could run with you just like that,"
and he spat down onto the earth. "I'm so damned strong, I could run
with two of you."
"I believe you, George," I said; "but let's just keep going on like
this. We'll be there right away."
"Scared of my running with you?" he asked.
I didn't know how to answer him: if I admitted that it would
frighten me, George would say: "Then I'll show you you've got
nothing to worry about"; and if I said that I was not frightened,
