The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1893-06-28

on her as champion beauty. l didn't
lose five minutes, time telling my feel
ings Of adulation and admiration, but
the most she would say was that she
would ride down hill ON my hand sled,
borrow my geography in preference to
any other and allow mo to sharpen her
slate pencil and lick the boys who snow
balled her after school. Thus we loved
and loved, or at least l did. There came
time when could look back and see
where Melvina was cool, calculating and
level headed-where her love stopped
dead short and business began, but l
was blind then.
A year passed by before rival entered
the field. We had our spats. There were
occasions when we made up faces at
each other across the schoolroom; when
she turned from me and let another boy
wash her slate; when was glad that she
left off at the footof the spelling class;
when I added up 20 and 8 ON the black
board and made 10, and she giggled and
was rejoiced. On the whole, however,
we were happy. ] licked ID different
boys for her direct benefit that year,
and her per cent in geography was
the highest of any girl in the school.
We were engaged-that is, had asked
Melvina about half a million times il she
would have me, and she had always re-
piled that she guessed she would If the
hogs didn't get in and root up the gar
den or some other awful calamity occur.
My rival was callow youth named
Sam Greene. Something warned me of
peril the minute l set eyes - him, but
an hour later, when Iheard that he could
write poetry, / realized that it would be
a fight to the death. Sam went straight
to work to unhorse me. At the forenoon
recess he presented Melvina jackson
with o lead pencil and slate sponge, and
she smiled sweetly asshe accepted them.
/ wrote her note meant to annihilate
her, but she read it with her mouth full
of apple and didn't scare worth a cent.
Long enough before noon had deter
mined to lick Sam Greene. A licked boy
goes right out of the rival business and
doesn't bother any more. II Melvina
had melted a little and assured me Of
her fealty, I might have changed my
mind, but she didn't melt. She even
went 80 far as to whisper to a girl who
would whisper it to me that Sam Greene
had dreamy eyes and nose like Cicero.
After that my resolution was unshaka-
Bile.
My callow rival had to be provoked be-
fore he would fight, but when we got at
it he proved to be sterling antagonist.
For long time victory wavered in the
balance, and then won by a scratch.
His hair was his tender point, and when
got hold with both hands he gave in.
For week Melvina placed me on a
pedestal and almost agreed to elope.
Then Sam Greene sent her a piece Of
poetry entitled 1.-THE Maiden's Heart"
and lost my grip again. The only thing
to be done was to lick him again, but he
had had his hair shingled in the mean
time, and the conflict did not terminate
to my satisfaction. Some of the boys
said s'hollered," and others said /
licked, and it was an open question as to
who won. He went right home and
wrote another piece Of poetry entitled
"She DIED at Sunset" and Ishould have
been goner but for Providence. / was
hanging around Mr.. Jackson's house in
the evening, hoping to at least see Mel
vina's shadow on the kitchen window
curtain, when I discovered that the
smokehouse was on fire. / heroically
quenched the flames, burned my left
heel and saved seven hams from an In
glorious fate. That was more than an
offset for s'She Died at Sunset, " and for
weeks I was happy youth. must
credit Sam with going over and helping
Mrs. jackson to make soft soap and with
painting the well curb red, white and
blue at his own expense, but Melvina
only treated him as brother.
Age came creeping over me as time
passed on, and my sixteenth birthday
arrived. twas ushered in by Melvina
presenting me with 15-cent Testament,
and it was ushered out by my giving
Sam Greene tho awfu1lest licking n.y.