Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1896-01-19
..nin rar-straieht2D l sid.


thought of Nina with her straight, fair
hair, and her two queer, lite White
testh.
Billy Willis as seen my toe" he
murmered, as if to himself.
There was no need of him TO remind
me of this fact. Had not Billy spread
the news abroad himself, and been en-
Wed by all the sixth standard for two
whole days in consequence
"Au right" l said, "TI give yer a
bit"
COW big?' he said.
I measured it off on my finger.
All right, minjy," he said.
gave him the stipulated amount OF
! chocolate. and we adjourned to the sta
bles under the arches. He showed me
his toe. which was a distinct disap-
pointment.
4 thort it was all swollen an red an
drawd up" I said. why, I've 'ad a
wuss toe n tibet meself!'
He was very much annoyed at that.
81 wouldn't ha' give yer none O my
sweet if I'd know'd it wasn't better n
! tibet" I said feeling aggrieved.
Il never told yer il was very bad, did
T." he said. Il only said I'd show it
yer"
I turned away with a lump in my
throat and tried to fold the silverfoil
neatly round the chocolate again. But
I found that my tampering with the
| piece of sweetstuff had marred its
! shapeliness, so that the silverfoil did
not cover it as neatly as heretofore.
1t was forced on me to break off and
eat another piece, that the symmetry OF
the whole might be preserved.
Yet. despite my care, Nina knew at
| once that the chocolate had undergone
a metamorphOsis.
you. are a pig" she said. you bin
eatin' some O bhis. An what ala yer
wanner git silver paer for? You ony
git two squares with silver paper an
you git four without
Il thort you'd like the silver paper"
l said" humbly.
so do, she said; "but it amt with
| two squares
She said this with her mouth full of
chocolate. / had expected her to offer
me some( we had not been engaged
long then, and my knowledge of her
character was defectiye); but she did
not seem to think Of that and l was too
proud to suggest il.
was not in love with Nina at all.
I did not like the way she did her hair
and she was too fat and too tall. She
was several inches taller than I. I
walked along by her side and wished l
were not engaged to her.
But for the look of the thing I would
have asked her to release me, there
and then.
Ny engagement happened in the fol-
| lowing way:
Ona morning, after school. I was the
| only boy in the playground who pos
sessed a lead pencil. There was an
| ardent inquiry for lead pencils that
morning. Mystery was in the air.
! Each seventh standard boy had torn
a fyleaf from his grammar book and
was rushing about madly with the
| piece of paper in his hand.
! Whats up?" I asked Billy Willis,
who, despite his admitted deficiencies,
| is usually well informed On current
events.
Don't jer know?" he said.
| I took his head under my arm and
| squel ched his nose with the palm of my
| hand
IF knoo 7 shouldn't ask you, should
| I, fat 'ead?' I said
He explained that his rejoinder was
| merely collOquailism that meant
! nothing. and I released him.
Mar, then, tell me" I said. still hold
/ ing him by the wrist. What's up?"
"Why, Cock Mayne's bin making up
tor Fanny Writes, an so all the other
fellers wanner make up ter the other
gels"
I gasped
Cock Mayne's bin maxim up ter
Fanny Wirtlesr I cried. "Git art"
Fact" said Billy.
But er fathers policeman an she
| knows 'Ow Ter play the pianner"
What O. tibet. Didn't Cock knock
up 81 against the Red Stars?"
Still
Look art, Ere comes Mitchie. go.
after your pencil, | expect"
The warning came too late. I was
seized. Four boys held me by the arms
and legs. while another went through
my pockets. My pencil was taken from
me and 1 stood by while the young free
| hooters fought among themselves for
! the first of it.
They wrote their letters against the
wall of the playground and their friends
! stood around in an admiring semi-cir-
Gle and read out each word as it was
written. When a smaller boy ventured
to approach the group he was cuffed
and driven away with contumely.
Photographed difficulties were refer
! red to me.
They approached the entrance to the
girls playground outside which some
of the sixth standard were playing
"hopscotch.'
II was curious TO note how the de-
mean0r of the boys altered as they
! drew nearer 10 the girls. They turned
| the corner at a hand gall0p at dis
lance of 100 yards they began TO walk;
! at eighty yards the stiffness departed
from their limbs and they slouched; at
| fifty yards they stopped and held a con-
! sultation: then they advanced with bent
heads. in silence. blushing.
Zach boy pursued the maiden of his
choice. and when he had caught her
pressed the letter he had prepared into
! her hand and fed incontinentE.
All reassemb.ed ct the corner. The
girls reasse embed higher up the road
and read their letters in concert One,
more audac.ous than the rest, turned
and kissed her hand TO the boys. The
boys broke into grins thereat.
And in an instant there was another
stampede. This time the boys, when
they caught the girls, knocked Them