I was sayin' how good it was of you to start it up." The man
gazed at her blankly.
"I ain't touched the fire," he answered. "I might have, though, as
well as not, Tiny, if I'd thought of it."
"That's all right," Celestina declared, making haste to repair her
blunder. "I've plenty of time to lay it myself. 'Twas only that when
I saw you settin' up before it I thought mebbe you'd built it 'cause
you were cold."
"I was cold," acquiesced Willie, his eyes misty with thought. "But I
warn't noticin' there was no heat in the stove when I drew up here."
Celestina bit her lip. How characteristic the confession was!
"Well, there'll be a fire now very soon," said she, bustling out and
returning with paper and kindlings. "The kitchen will be warm as toast
in no time. An' I'll make you some hot coffee straight away. That
will heat you up. This northerly wind blows the cobwebs out of the
sky, but it does make it chilly."
Although Willie's eyes automatically followed her brisk motions and
watched while she deftly started the blaze, it was easy to see that he
was too deep in his own meditations to sense what she was doing.
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