Analysis Of Nell Guthrie Sat On The Town Dock With Her...

Later that evening, Nell Guthrie sat on the town dock with her beau, Asa Davis. A rain cloud had passed over and drenched Beaufort while Nell was eating supper with her mother and father, but now the western sky was streaked with a sunset of orange, fuchsia and hints of chartreuse. The cloudburst washed the movement out of the air, leaving behind a humid tranquility. Leaning toward her, Asa nuzzled his paramour’s ear, making her tremble. â€Å"Where you been hidin’ out, lover? Has your daddy been working you hard?† She returned the kiss, teasing him with her lips. â€Å"Daddy let me have the afternoon off so I could clam for supper tonight.† â€Å"I thought I saw you leave the store. Then I stopped by your house to deliver some laudanum for your mother.† Thrilled that he was thinking of her throughout the day, she answered, â€Å"You know you have boys who make deliveries for you.† â€Å"I wanted to see my girl.† As she burrowed her f ace into his chest, she inhaled his familiar scent of perspiration and spicy bay rum. Shifting around, she nestled her back into Asa’s solid chest and shoulder. When he wrapped his arms around her, and she could feel the rhythmic beating from his heart. Moored work boats filled the glassy, calm harbor, many of them on their way to the Northeast after a winter in the South and the Caribbean. Since land and sea were in a constant tussle for wind in Nell’s coastal town, it was unsettling to her when it died. When Asa began to caress her arm, a haunting penny