Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-02-12
IN ANTERIOR TIME

YOUTH" he said, rs an accident tba
happens to most of u.s.
He addressed this remark to sOm'
men who had survived the accident
They were dwellers in upper Suburbia
and knew nothing of the unhealthy Lit
tie strangers without their gates Il
whom youth was an unknown state o.
being.
Between the warped infancy OF thess
little strangers and their manhood
there Is no intervening country; NJ
golden dreamland, wherein 1t Is per
mitted to everyone to be irresponsible
no time OF dalliance.
To-day they are children. crying ovel
their lessons; tomorrow they will bt
earning their daily bread. Youth stand.
aside, inthe light beyond the shadows
beckoning vainly:
l, with the others, passed youth by
but to me alone Of all the crowd. wa
given 4 sense of loss.
recall an incident Of the anterio,
time.
To run straight from a sweetstuf1
shop into the arms OF a bigger boy is
q misfortune.
| had nor even time to stow my pur
chase away in my pocket. Jimmy Pipe
saw it.
Mar, then, fat cad" he said. "Where
yer runnin' to-"
a boy less conscious OF his superior
inches would have pandered to me.
Find art,' responded, dOdging him
He dashed at me. then suddenly srOp
ped and drew up his leg and swore. A
few days previously, while wadina
barefoot in u rainpond, he had trodden
on piece of glass. This he had forgot.
ten for the moment
| was disposed TO jeer: but, renlen-
boring that he was ~ years old and
strong for his age. also that his lame
ness was likely to be only temporary,
forbore and parleyed with him.
He would not listen.
"What're bin buyin?" he inquired
impatienriv.
"Chocklit," said I.
Gimme a bit said he, holding forth
grimy hand.
! shook my head.
"Is yer don't gimme Bit" he said
with CrimneSs, III punch yer rarnd
the jawr."
Il can't give yer none," replied
TREMENDOUSLY.
Look ere" he said limpinG toward
me IF yer gimme bit III show Yer
my sore toe
''Will ycr-straight?" l said.
See this finger wet, see this finger
dry. cut me front before / tell another
lie, I WILL he replied solemnly.
| hesitated. | looked at the cake Of
chocolate in my hand, neatly wrapped
IN silver foil. and from the chocolate to
his foot, ali 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?
"All right" l said. "I'll give yer o
bit"
low b!g?" he said.
1 measured it off on my finger.
"All right, minjy," he said.
/ gave him the stipula ted amount Of
chocolate, and we adjourned to the sta
bles under the arches. He showed me
his toe, which was a distinct disappOint
ment.
Il thort 1t was al swollen an red an
draw'd up" l said. why, I've 'ad a
wuSs toe u thet myselfr'
lie was very much annoyed at that
y ,I,,ft I,nr -,
swee: If I'd know'd it wasn't better n
the;," l said, feeling aggrieved.
Il never told yer it was very bad. did
~ he said. II on'y said I'd show it
yer"
| turned away with q lump in my
thrpat, and tried to fold the silverfOil
neatly round the chocolate again. But
! found that by tampering with the
piece Of sweetstuff / had marred its
shapeliness. so that the silverfoil did
not cover II as neatly as heretofore.
II 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
Il mrtamorphosis.
You are a pig" sbs said. "You bin
sarin' some of this. An what did yer
wauHar git silver paper for? You On'y
git two squares with silver paper an
ynu git four without"
- thort you'd like the silver paper"
said, humbly.
$50 do" she said; "but it amt wuth
two squares"
She said this with her mouth full OF
chocolate. l had expected her to offer
ne some 1--WE had not been engaged long
then. and my knowledge Of her char
Rcter 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 like 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 I were
not engaged to her.
But for the look OF the thing I would
have asked her to release me, there and
then.
My engagement happened in tho 70.
lowing way:
One r,afn!nG t:tor school I was the
only boy In :he playground who pos
sessrsd { lead pencil. There was an
arden, iaquiry for lsad pencils that
morning Mystery was in ths air. Each
seventh standard boy had torn a hyleaf
from his grammar book AID was rush
Ing about iuadiy with the piece OF ps
per In HIS hand.
WHATS up3" l asked Billy Willis.
Tho despite his admitted deficiencies