Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-05-22

ened the unShaded lawns beneath them
so that the air was at once warm and
cold. A couple walking down the mall
remarked this phenomenon. He lik-
ened the weather to a mixed drink,
and she encouraged him with a pretty
show of teeth.
BLOWN ITSELF he said of the wind
that tugged at her Sunday skirt, toss
ing the feathers in her hat and blow
ing wisps of her disordered hair about
her face.
She put them back with: It'll blow
me to bits"
Come an see the circus" he sug-
gested, meaning the menagerie. "The
monkey house-we'll be in out of the
wind there"
"All right" she agreed. They're
cunnin'. ain't they?-the monkeys"
Sure" he nodded. Are yeh cold?"
looking at her with more admiration
than solicitude 1t was plain that he
spoke only as an excuse for that look.
"Cold?" she laughed. Are you?
Put on yer coat, wy don't yeh? Aw,
do"
The coat hung on his arm. He pro-
tested that he was not cold; he had
only thought that she might be so.
cav, put it on she urged.
Now, no man of any spirit will put
on his overcoat in such case. That
would be to acknowledge either that he
had not sense enough to know when he
was cold, or wisdom enough to put on
the coat, knowing it,
Say" he said, watts the use of me
putin on the coat Wen / don't want
it?"
"Yeh might put it on Wen ask yeh,"
she pouted.
cav, say" he appealed to her.
well" she defended herself, "yeh
never do wat l ask yeh."
The defense was lame inasmuch as
they had met only three times as yet
and she had never asked him to do
anything for her before. However. he
saw that this affair promised trouble
and Gee" he said, 81 amt goin' teh
scrap about it," thrusting an arm into
a sleeve of his coat.
She turned to him. all smiles. "Yeh
needn't put it on, if yeh don't want
it," she said.
Sure, l don't want it." he said. 81
top yeh that"
She took the coat from him, and
folded it over his arm. silly" she
laughed, squeezing his hand.
He grinned at once. "All right, all
right" he said. "As longs you're
happy"
She took his arm with an air of own
ership, and they turned down the path
toward the menagerie. On ordinary
days she was a factory girl and he
bricklayer, but this was a spring Sun
day afternoon, and they were a pair
for the poets. Several hundred other
couples on the crowded walk were in
the same happy condition, but planets
revolving in common space could not
be at further cry from one another
Each pair was the centre of its own
solar system, with the other worlds
circling about in outer darkness.
Therefore, these two went arm in
arm with Coney Island frankness, as
If they We're the sole inhabitants of a
new Garden Of Eden. They were just
on the pleasant verge of an intimacy
which each, unknown to the other
very much desired. He turned greedily
TO her, and she to him, to hear the
Iightest word. They impeded the mid
stream of promenaders while he turned
up the collar of her jacket. When he
guided her around a corner, helped her
up step, or passed her through the
crowd before him he reached protect
i've arm about her waist and let it re-
main long after these slight excuses
for its presence there had passed. He
wore his hat jauntily on one side of
Ills head, and he tried to be witty be-
yond telling.
We'll getta peanutty fer de monk"
he said, swinging her around to a ven
dor of nuts and candies. "How mucha?
Fiva centa? Sure" and paid out the
coin like a man of money. He put the
bag of peanuts in the coat pocket that
was nearest her, and invited her to
help herseli-which she did. Neces-
| sarily, his hand met hers sometimes in
the pocket and held it there until the
difficulties of making a passage
! through the crowd parted them again.
He chaffed her delicately because she
ate so many nuts. Here he said,
"yeh'll make yerself sick. You amt
the monkey got them fer"
She smiled gayly, winking a happy
eye at him as she broke shell be-
| tween her small white teeth. II is Ger
tain that he looked longingly at the
lips that parted to show those teeth.
"Are yeh tryin' teh make a monkey
of me?" she asked.
This Overwhelmingly witty retort,
coming 90 Unexpectedly, jolted him
into loud laugh He choked and
coughed She giggled. They stood for
a moment, helnless with laughter. and
even after they had sobered sufficient
ly to walk together again, he replied
to her inward convulsions with deep
4 81, Ill