Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1897-12-17
A FIRST ATTEMPT.
BY y. n. Flynn.
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rs an awful nuisance, Will and
Flo getting engaged" said Wills
young brother, ruefully. -.
Il don't mind their being engaged"
naSd Flo's young sister, stroking her
.cheek thoughtfully with her tennis
racquet. But l wish they weren't al
ways off by themselves. They make
'up such good set"
And there's no one else this morn
Ing" said young brother Ralph, fling
Ing his racquet, discontentedly, into the
corner of the tent. "I'll give you 80,
aud service every time, If you like to
have a single, Maudie."
Mandie shook her head decidedly
Ralph was fine partner-a tall, lis
kDm boy just 16, and growing into a
grand athlete-but as an opponent he
was rather trying for little girl two
years his junior. "You play too well,
Ralph" she apologized, "and get so
hot. Father says you play better than
man.
Not if he's good player" avowed
Frank, frankly. will can beat me
when he likes. But there isn't much
difference between boy and man in
anything, really, you know"
"0h, but men can do lots of things
boys can't"
what things?"
Oh--well-smoke."
Look here!" said Ralph, confiden-
&ially, producing an ugly little clay
head with vulcanite stem.
"Oh, Ralph! You don't really, do
you?"-
Don't just? l say, Maudie, let's,go
down by the brook, and III teach you
10 smoke, if you like"
Little Maudie made funny mouth
big sister Flo couldn't make prettier
faces than she; and Ralph had once
confessed to a ychum that he 'liked the
look of that kid" Il should be sick, l
expect, and l don't think want to
learn, Ralph"
swell, let's go down by the brook,
and III smoke" said the boy, grandly.
Of course, he didn't insult her by say
ing: Don't tell"-that was quite I'M
necessary. So they went and sat on the
grassy bank, and he had few-a very
few-whiffs at his nasty pipe. Then
they started catching tiddlers with
their hands, and putting them in pool
scooped out of the mud; and he let the
pipe go out A man would have relit it,
but Ralph felt that he had done enough
for honor.
"Grown-up people don't care about
catching tiddlers," remarked Maudie,
suddenly, as he deposited the seven
teenth unhappy fishlet in the pool.
Not women. Men do. They like
everything that boys do, SO far as can
see. Boys can do everything that men
can; but girls can't do what women
can. Though l can't see that women
do much"
"0h, but they do. Lots and lots of
things"
"Well, they amt much good at games,
anyhow. They don't care about them
really, anyone can see."
"Some of them do. lido"
but you're not a woman. kiddie.
Mind! you'll be in" and he rescued her
adroitly from overbalancing, as she
hung over the brook. 1t did not occur
to him that woman might have lin
gered superfuous second in mans
arms, just as his pretty comrade did in
his.
"When Inn woman, Ralph, I'll play
you at tennis, and beat YOU" she said
saucily.
But you won't care about 1t really
observed he, disregarding the threat
as unworthy of serious notice. you'll
ike women's things
what things~
Il don't know, do you? What things
do women like?"
"Oh, flirting; going for walks witt
young men; being engaged, perhaps
expect answered little Maudie, wash
ing her hands in the pool, and waving
them in the air to dry. viii would have
wiped Flo's hands dry himself, but
Ralph merely tossed over his big pocke'
handkerchief.
Girls can't do those things he OBJ
served.
Maudie's eyes sparkled very wickedly
"Oh, but they could" she averred, "onl.
they haven't anyone to do them with
Boys are so different than men. o
course. they can't make love, or any
thing of that sort"
Ralph rested hisIchin refiectively up
on his hand, and kicked holes in tn
bank with his heels. yrhey don't wan
to; they could If they liked"
mo, they couldn't. You couldn't"
+ Eyes, could, as well as YOU"
oh. no, you couldn't. Ny part i
easy--at flrst, have only to look nice
just see mel" She emoothed her hal