Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-01-04


and If she hadn't, wouldn't go blub-
bering round TO the fellow who got the |
best of me.n
"You Just wait till tomorrow said |
Barry, as he moved away from the cor
ner where this unpleasant dialogue had |
been held
Now Barry Munson hated girls in |
general, and cared very little about |
Bessie Charlock in particular. Basing |
his opinion chiefly on what he knew of
his sister Louise, it appeared to him
that girls were nuisances, and that their |
mission in life, if they had any, was to
interfere with their brothers plans. |
Could Barry have had his own way |
about it, he would have invited only |
boys to his birthday party. And yet
he felt that some girls were less ebjec-
tionable than others; Bessie Charlock, |
perhaps, the least so of all. II it be-
came necessary to take dose of medi- |
cine, Barry's preference was decidedly |
for sugar-coated pills; and If he found |
himself compelled to escort a young |
lady to supper, lie naturally desired
that she should possess all the saccha-
rine qualities possible. Helen Bough-
ton had nothing about her of - sugary
nature. Her face was suggestive rather
of chalk, and her stupidity was simply
amazing. Barry, who, upon Bessie's
unexpected refusal, was forced to offer
his company to Helen, felt that he had
taken an allopathic dose of castor-oil.
And this may have accounted for his
tiff with Tom. For three days after
[ the party the boys were open enemies.
Then Barry relented.
"What' the use of getting mad about
a girlP" said he. And this conciliatory
overture effected perfect reunion.
Tom and Barry became closer friends
| than ever.
All this, remember, at the unripe age
of thirteen.
At seventeen Barry went to college,
and Tom went to work. Then it was
that they began mutually to appreciate
the dissimilarity of their lots in life.
When Barry came home at the end of
his freshman year he treated Tom
kindly, but with certain patronizing air
which was more offensive to the young
mechanic than insult direct The lusty
friendship of their boyhoOd was at an
end. They met no longer on that plane
of pleasant equality where leap-frog
and baseball made them peers. Barry
had become thoroughly conscious that
he was the son of Abner Munson, the
owner of the Marlborough iron-works,
and Tom had been made to feel the
difference between patched coat and
broadcloth. AT the end of another year
Barry's college training began to make
itself conspicuously manifest. His sis
ter Louise, now Mrs. Frederick Maynard,
had no need to caution him againts
the impropriety of associating with
Tom Finch. Along with his Eschylus
and calculus, he had learned some 9TH
er things not laid down in the college
curriculum.
"Tom Finch is a good fellow, but
fresh-exceedingly fresh"
This was the opinion which Mr.. Barry
Munson expressed concerning his former
companion. The hero of his school
days appeared to his finer and more re-
fined vision very common clay, and he
worshiped him no more than he did
Robinson Crusoe or Gulliver.
In good time Barry came home to
Marlborough with the aroma of the
freshly-fledged alumnus about him. 1t
was sweet to the nostrils of his sister
Louise, but it was not agreeable to peo-
|
which he removed when he wanted to
see, and put on when he wished to be
seen. He sprinkled his conversation
with slang, and emphasized it with
frequent deuced.n The most OBJ
vious results of his liberal education
were presented in the marvellous skill
with which he could tie cravat. and
the deftness with which he shuffled
cards; also in his eXtravagant love for
cigarettes and his worship of heroines.
1t was apparent that time had eff
fected a striking metamOrphosis in
Barry Munson. This same magician,
with gentle touch, had wrought also a
change in Bessie Charlock. He had
nodded her girlish figure into outlines
of symmetrical beauty, crowned her
with wealth of luxuriant brown hair,
deepened the rich color of cheek and
lip, and freshened her with the vigor of
perfect health. She was amazingly
pretty. Barry said: "Deucedly charm
ing" He met her not many days after
his return to scarborough, at croquet
party. They were antagonists in the
game, but the best of friends between
shots.
81 hoped you would come up to Com
mencement with Louise and Fred"
said he, twirling his mallet over his fin
gers, as his alma mater had taught him
to twirl cane.
~ should have enjoyed it, I am sure"
answered Bessie. - Your Grafton,
suppose, was the best of them all.
What was it aboutP"
1.-The effect of Platonic philosophy
upon modern thought" replied Barry,
with an unmistakable consciousness of
the depth of his subject.
Gracious mer' exclaimed Bessie,
raising her curved eyebrows. "How
interested | should have been in that!
Can't you repeat some of it now, Mr..
Munsonph
In spite of himself Barry felt his
cheek grow hot. This girl of nineteen
knew nothing about Platonic philoso-
ply, of course. Yet her ridicule made
the self-satisfed Bachelor of Arts vince
not little.
"You would find it deucedly stupid,
Miss Bessie said he at last.
40 no, l shouldn't! How could any
thing be stupid that comes from your
penP And then Plato-how nice it
must be to tell the world all about his
| PhilooOpHk8 Leu Illo Stt9 w as nG luC
one who loved good things to eatP No,
of course not! That was Ep-Ep-"
"Epicurus," suggested Barry,
"Yes. How ignorant in me not to
know! Why didn't you write about
the effect which his philosophy has had
on modern thoughtP am sure yon
are qualified to treat that subject, Mr..
Munson."
Before Barry could interpret this re-
mark the young lady was at the other
end of the ground driving an obtrusiye
"rovern out of the way.
The croquet party seemed deucedly
dull'' to Mr., Barry Munson. Bessie,
on the other hand, enjoyed the game
keenly. The players were still on the
ground when the siX-o' clock whistle at
the Barborough iron-works broke upon
the stiffness of the summer air. A few
minutes later Tom Finch, with his coat
-