The Penn's Grove record., 1896-02-07
IN ANTERIOR TIME

youth" he said, "is an accident thai
happens to most Of US"
He addressed this remark to some
men who had survived the accident
They were dwellers In upper Suburbia
and knew nothing of the unhealthy lit
tie strangers without their gates tt
whom youth was ar unknown state o.
being.
Between the warped infancy Of thest
little strangers and their manhood
there Is no intervening country; NJ
golden dreamland, wherein It 10 per
mitted to everyone to be irresponsible
no time Of dalliance.
To-day they are children, crying owe
their lessons; tomorrow they will bt
earning their daily bread. Youth standi
aside, inthe light beyond the shadows
reckoning vainly.
l, with the others, passed youth by
but to me alone, Of all the crowd. wa
given a sense of loss.
/ recall an Incident of the anterior
time.
. To run straight from a sweetstufl
shop into the arms Of a bigger boy Is
q misfortune.
l had not even time to stow my pur
chase away in my pocket. Jimmy Pipe
saw 1t.
Mar, then, fat cad" he said. "Where
yer runnin' to-"
A boy less conscious of his superior
inches would have pandered to me.
Find artr' l responded, lodging him.
He dashed at me, then suddenly stop.
ped and drew up his leg and swore. A
few days previously, while wading
barefoot in a rainpond, he had trodden
on a piece of glass. This he had forgot
ten for the moment
| was disposed to jeer; hut, remen
bering that he was IL years old and
strong for his age, also that his lame.
ness was likely to be only temporary,
l forbore and parleyed with him.
He would not listen.
"What're bin buyin?" he inquired
impatlently.
"ChOcklit," said l.
"Glmme a bit said he, holding forth
a grimy hand.
/ shook my head.
"If yer don't gimme n bit" he said,
with grimness, "Iu punch yer rarnd
the jawr."
81 can't give yer nome" I replied
TREMENDOUSLY.
Look ere" he said, limping toward
me, elf Yer gimme a bit I'll show yer
my sore toe"
xviii yer-straight?" l said.
"See this finger wet, see this finger
dry, cut me front before | tell another
lie, l will" he replied, solemnly.
/ hesitated. l looked at the cake OF
chocolate in my hand, neatly wrapped
in silver foil, and from the chocolate to
his foot, all swathed In bandages. l
thought of Nina with her straight, fair
hair and her two queer, little white
teeth.
BILLY Willis as seen my toe," he
murmured, as If to himself.
There was no need for 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
IAN right" l said. I'm give yer Q
bit"
SOW blg?" he said.
l measured it off ON my finger.
"All right, mlnjy," 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 disappoint
ment.
~ thort 1t was all swollen an red an
draw'd up" l said. why, I've 'ad q
wuss toe n tibet myselfr
He was very much annoyed at that
II wouldn't ha' give yer none o. my
sweet If I'd know'd 1t wasn't better n
thet," l said, feeling aggrieved.
81 never told yer 1t was very bad, did
~ he said. II on'y said I'd show It
yer."
| turned away with q lump in my
throat, and tried to fold the silverfoil
neatly round the chocolate again. But
/ found that by tampering with the
piece OF sweetstuff l had marred its
shapeliness. so that the silverfoil did
not cover II as neatly as heretofore.
1t was forced on me 40 break of 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 netamorphosis.
you are a pig" she said. "You bin
satin' some Of this. An what did yer
wanner git silver paper for? You on'y
git two squares with silver paper an
you git four Without.
~ thort you'd like the silver paper"
I said, humbly.
$50 l do" she said; "but 1t amt wuth
two squaros."
She said this with her mouth full of
chocolate. l had expected her to offer
me some 1--WE had not been engaged long
then, and my knowledge of her char
was defective); but she did not
seem to think OF that, and I was too
proud to suggest It.
was not in love with Nina at all. !
did not Ike the way she did her hair,
and she was fat and too tall. She was
several inches taller than I. I walked
along by her side and wished 1 were
not engaged TO her.
But for. the look OF the thing 1 would
asked her to release me, there and
then.
My engagement happened in the fos
way:
One mainirg a:tor school I was the
boy In the playground who pos
sesssd L lead pencil. There was an
irdent Inquiry for lad pencils that
Mystery was In tbs air. Each
'eyanth standard boy had torn a Ayleaf
rom his grammar book a1d was rush
ne about madly with the piece OF pa
per In his hand.
"wbat's upT" / asked Billy Wills, !
yhe desDlte bis sdmitted deficiencies.