The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-11-12

Homer Ba.sford bring. Up Old Memor

1
Who OF all the hundreds and thousands
I OF old boys does not rcmember--with a
I sigh OF regret that his youth Is passed
j his first love? Who OF all that vast
army does not remember the dimple-
checked, brown-eyed lass, or the girl
with yellow, sunshiny curls and laughing
face, or the fair, blue-eycd little girl
with whom he fell into his first love?
Many OF all this crowd have girls of their
own now, whose boaus hang on the
front gate until il isn't there any longer,
/ just the same as we did when we were
toys.
My first love! Softly l breathe the
words that mean SO little 10 me. But /
speak reverentially OF the years that are
gone, out OF respect To tho memory OF
those who went with them. The recol-
lection of early kisses and sly hugs,
stolen on the way home from "sngin', I"
comes up and forces a sigh; but, withal,
tho thoughts OF my youth can only be
pleasant ones.
1t is not altogether clear To me now
how / came To imagine myself In love
with the sweet and pretty Barbara.
only know that | called her "my girl" In
an off-hand manner, and all the neigh
bors somehow admitted that / had an
undisputed right to the claim. Barbara
did not wear bangs or any of the patent
arrangements that go to complete fem
mime toilets of to-day. Perhaps she
would have worn them had they been in
vogue, but | will give the little girl the
benefit OF the doubt. Many months were
spent in the usual love-making prelim
inaries before | felt it my duty TO tell
Barbara of my love for her. On the day
/ had set for making the avowal, |
dressed up just after noon and set off
down the road for the sweet child's
house. My costume was Of linsey, and
IL consisted simply of shirt, coat, and
trousers. The latter were of n large,
roomy pattern, very much like those
worn to-day by young men who follow
the styles. Mine were not cut from any
particular style, and they did not reach
my ankles, but two little things Like that
did not bother me.
Barbara was sitting on the style when
/ reached her house, and she said "good-
evchin that pretty mid-aftcrnoon in
such a pleasant way that i wanted to
bite her then and there. A big shade
was tied down over hershead TO keep the
sun from dropping freckles on the rosy
checks, while mitts Of her own making
encased the small hands | SO longed to
hold. l forget my mission as | looked at
her, and my dream was broken by some
stray remark about the need Of rain.
But ! braced up to my task, and began
TO collect my thoughts. How many times
l changed from one foot TO the other in
ten minutes, How often | ran my big,
brown hands into those short, roomy
trousers! But | told my Barbara l loved
her, and she seemed glad OF II all
After that day, what moments OF bliss
we spent together, and what great fools
we made of ourselves from that time on,
until one day She gave the north neigh
boris son Il bunch of field daisies, pluclied
by her own small hands. We quarreled
then, and my first love was over.
Although il was only silly child's play,
wish | could play it over again. Such
pleasures come but once in lifetime,
and blcst is he who has to experience
thcm.-DCrOit Free Press