The Penn's Grove record., 1896-02-07
. usually we'll informed on curreu

! squelched his nose with the palm Q
my hand.
'If l knoo. I shouldn't ask yo'
should 7, fat 'ead?" | said.
He explained that his rejoinder wa
merely a colloquialism that meant nott
Ing. and | released him.
MAR. then, tell me-" | said, stu hold
Ing him by the wrist. "Whats upr'
"why, Cock Mayne's bin making u,
10 Fanny Writes, an so all the othe
~ieilers wanner make up ter the othe
gels"
| gas"ed.
"Cock Mayne's bin maxim up ter Fan
ny Wirtles" | cried. "Git artF
Fact" said Billy.
"But 'er fathers a policeman an shI
knows 'ow ter play the palmer"
what o. thetf Didn't Cock knock ri
eighty-seven against the Red Starsr'
"Stlll-"
Look artr' Ere comes Mitchie-af
ter your pencil. l expect"
The warning came too late. ] wa
seized. -Four boys held me by the arm
and legs, while another went througl
my pockets. My pencil was taken from
me, and l stood by while the younl
freebooters fought among themselves
for the first of It
They wrote their letters against tn
wall Of the playground, and thet
friends stood around In an admirinl
semI-cIrcle and read out each word al
II was written. When q smaller boz
ventured ia approach the group he wal
cuffed and driven away with contume
ly. orthographical difficulties were re
ferred to me.
They approached the entrance to tn
girls playground, outside which som
of the sixth standard were playin
"~hopscotch."
1t was curious to note how the d,
can of the boys altered az the
drew nearer the girls. They turned tn
corner at a hand gallop; at a distanc
Of 100 yards they began to walk; a
eighty yards the stiffness dsparte
from their limbs and they slouched
at fifty yards they stopped and he'll
a consultations; then they advance
with bent heads. In silence, blushing.
Each boy pursued the maiden of hi
choice, and when he had caught he
pressed the letter he had prepared int
her hand and fed lncontinently.
All reassembled at the corner. Tn
girls reassembled higher up the roai
and read their letters In concert. Ono
more audacious than the rest, turne'
and kissed her hand to the boys. Tn
boys broke into grins thereat.
And in an instant there was anothe
stampede. This time the boys, whel
they caught the girls, knocked then
about a little, but quite socially.
The various engagements were pub
i!shed in the afternoon. The happ.
lovers were sedulously chaffed by u
until we saw that they liked 1t, thel
we chaffed them no more.
Still NO thought of emulation s.irre
Wills had written to Martha Simpson
and been accepted by her that the ide
of falling in love on my own accoun
gripped me.
1t was universally admitted that be
tween Billy and myself there was
great gulf fixed. Mentally, socially an,
physically, he was my inferior. l couli
lick him with one hand; his size Il
boots was one and a half less thai
mine. and my conquer" had vanquisl
ed seyenty-three other ''conque j." 3
compared with his measly forty-nine.
| found 1t a difficult matter to fall Ii
love. But much can be done by perss
verance, and at last the first faint tiui
terings of a passion for n girl witt
black hair named Mary Wayte stlrre
within my breast.
| wrote a letter and gave 1t to he
with my own hand. She took 1t am
laughed. l heard her laughter as raj
away, and l was troubled. My low
changed to hate.
My sister said, when l told her wha
had happened:
"Why don't you have little Nina?"
"Becos she amt little" l replied
with asperity. AN she's got such +
silly name"
Insensibly l found the idea gainin,
possession OF me After all, l thought
l might do worse. Nina was not so bad
She looked almost pretty at a distance.
That night l waited for her outsid
her door, and when she came out to &c
the supper beer l accosted her.
"If you touch me III go straight an,
tell yer mother" she said.
l thought of abandoning my enter
prise.
81 amt agoin' ter touch YER" I said.
"Well. go away, them" she exclaim
ed, shrinking against the wall an,
drawing up m leg.
l said no more, but handed her IL
letter l had originally prepared 70
Nary. l had scratched out MARY" and
substituted "Nlna." She took the lstts
md / ran away.
On the following day our engagement
a formally announced.
But l was not happy. Nina was al
awkward girl to love. It was impoesi.
Die to kiss her, she was so tall and stiff,
+ I pressed her hand she told me ID
mind her gathered hnery." She wal
IN impossible girl altogether.
30 that l was not sorry when she dis
overed that she no longer loved me-
Ssw Review.