The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1904-12-13
CRUSHED STRAWBERRIES.


An not UtdnAll hl-uNl pretty
even. ! have n strong suspicion
that Emmie, my sister. considers
me absolutely plain, and l know
for a fact that Jack and Tom. my
brothers. regard me as downright
ugly. When people want TO be good
to me. they call me "interesting-loo
ing and wink at the shape Of my
nose. Ny hair Is a bright red. and
have a temper to correspond In short
my personal appearance and character
leave much to be desired. and. as Jack
says. what Rob could see IN me to-
but am coming 10 that later on.
Emmie Is a remarkably handsome
girl. and. though she has never told
me so. / believe she has always fcli
intensely sorry FOR me on account OF
my want Of beauty. She is very sweet
and good. and / am sure she would
Willingly have given me a share OF
her good looks II that had been posi-
BILE However, rs it was not possible
Emmie was reluctantly obliged to
agree with me that nature intended
me for an old maid. / had long ago
made up my mind 10 that; and. money
not being particularly plentiful at
home, ! knew / should be obliged ID
earn my own living az some time OF
other might not have begun quite
as soon as | dld, II II hadn't been foi
mother
When the problem Of Emmle's pros
poets in life had been satisfactorily
settled by her engagement TO Charlie
Bonrchier, mother began TO worry
about me. l fancy she considered my
matrimonial chances dubious. but not
desperate. Anyhow. as soon as Emmie
was provided for. mother began to
make heroic efforts on my behalf.
That sort Of thing gets Gu your nerves
At least. II got on mine. My temper
as / said before. Is not angelic. and
In those days / lost Il half a dozen
times day.
Al last l informed poor mother. with
quite unnecessary violence. that
would perish sooner than marry any
one Of the nice young men whom she
regarded. with wonderful optimism,
as snilors IN embryo. ! added. more
over. that seveled in tho prospect 81
becoming a bachelo- girl and to prove
my point. l launched forthwith upon
a course OF lessons Ii shorthand and
typewriting. calculated TO ft me foi
that exalted position in life.
That Is how. some months later. ]
came 10 be travelling twice n day be.
tween Kings Cross and Chancpry lane
on the top Of a Waterloo omnibus. The
family considered TINT had de.
meancd myself BY becoming type
writer, but gloried in my position OF
proud independence and didn't par
tlcularly dislike the work
Now. when one has travelled on top
Of the same omnibus for any length OF
time. one begins to regard ones fellow
passengers IS quite old friends Al
least. that was my experience. /
travelled ia their company so often
that their faces became perfectly IA
miliar TO me ana n. as sometimes
happened. / came across one OF them
elsewhere. my FIRST impulse was "a
shake them warmly by the hand. until
remembered that they were not the
intimate friends | took hem for-thai
we had never even been INTRODUCED.
There was one passenger in whom !
look an abnormal interest. / make
this shameless confession with due
humility and in the hope that / shall
not be misunderstood 1t is quite pos
sible that he would never have occu.
pied my thoughts to any appreclabla
extent. II he had not trodden upon
my toes-accidentally. OF course.
He said "Oh. beg your pardon
and murmured, Don't mention it,
I had seen him a good many times
before, but II was not until that mo-
ment that my interest hogan to be
aroused. think Il must have been
his voice, though am bound TO admit
that his face was attractive. too. Then
liked the way he lifted his hat when
he stammered that apology In short
don't mind owning that he inspired
me with very friendly feelings. ]
caught myself wondering how old he
was and tried to steal glance al
him unobserved-only to find that he
was doing exactly the same thing. OF
course, 1t Is only natural that a man
should feel slightly interested in gIrl
upon whose toes he has just stepped
unawares.
Our acquaintance. thus inauspieious
" begun, would possibly have stopped
at this point bus for an incident. small
and insignificant in itself maybe. but
fraught with tremendous consequence,
to myself.
Il happened on a glorious day in mid
June in the height OF the strawberr,
season | had purchased couple Of
pounds OF the luscious fruit from 4
barrow man in High Holborn, to be
deposited, according 70 custom, In the
bosom Of my family.