The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-09-29
THAT SWEETHEART OF MINE.

mlQQle age. OOLH were SuSutiy III
clined to embonpoint.
They were travelling between Lit
tie Rock and Fort Smith. She was
thinking busily of the number of
pounds of sugar necessary to given
number of baskets of cherries await
ing her house wifely care, and he
we'll, his mind was concerned with
cherries, too, but they were cherries
in the blossom, the snowy boughs of
the trees that had shaded little vii
lage lane.
Underneath the boughs stood a
girl and boy-how we'll he remem-
bers the face of the girl, the pink Of
her cheeks, the blue in her eyes, the
brown of her hair-he could feel the
sting of that braid of hair as she
switched it roughly in his face when
he tried to steel kiss.
He stole a side look at his wife's
plain, wholesome features, and sigh
ed. He even wondered why his
dream of the cherry tree lane had
never come true-why he had.
Just then the train slowed up at
little side station and he became
aware of an unusual hustle on the
platform. His wife said, with some
little excitement in her voice:
''John, I do believe a theatrical
troupe is getting on here"
John dimly remembered that Flora
had always called him "Jack, +" as he
answered lazily:
"Well, my dear, what of it?
There is plenty of room, isn't there?
I don't see any immediate need for
my being interested" and relapsed
into the region of past delights again
-"what mischief Flora had been."
He was rudely jolted back to the
present again by severe pinch from
Mrs. John.
"For goodness sake, John, did you
ever see such get-up?"
"Eh-what did you say, Mar
garet? Get up where 7" and follow
ing the direction of her eyes he look.
ed down the aisle.
We gcds. was he dreaming? 1t
was Flora-Flora in the flesh; in
fact, more so than when they had
last met; not quite the Flora of the
cherry tree, but Enthusiastically his
early sweetheart-the star of barn.
storming troupe.
She came up the aisle talking
loudly to a detected looking individ-
ual whom she addressed as "Tom-
N.Y." Her dress was brown, and
the feather in her hat-a hat too
large for traveling-was green as
Brazilian parrots wing.
The pink was in her cheeks as in
the days of the cherry tree, but it
had suggestion of permanency un-
like the fitting roses of fifteen years
ago; and her hair-surely Flora's
was brown, while the green parrots
wing shaded voluminous pompa-
dour of golden yellow
John was not sure by this time
whether he was the most afraid she
wouldn't recognize him, or most
hoped she wouldn't-but it mattered
little, she did.
In a moment she was bearing
down upon them like ship of Tar
shish in full sail and was shaking
him warmly by the hand and talking
as only Flora could do.
"Surely this is Jack Benton? 1
couldn't be mistaken, though you
have grown a lot stouter since we
met. Don't you remember Flora
Marcy? If you don't then mans
memory for an old sweetheart is
pretty thin thing"
Poor John could feel Margaret
stifen at the last sentence, and
groaning in spirit he introduced Miss
Marcy, whose volubility made up
for any awkwardness that Mrs. Ben
tons manner might have caused.
"Jack and I were old sweethearts
at Fort Smith. Lord, what larks we
used to have in the old days after
school and coming home from choir
practice. never thought of going
on the stage in those days, but talent
will not be suppressed-and here I
am. 1t looks like fate, our meeting
like this, doesn't it?''
John shufled nervously and cursed
fate inwardly and presently the chat
ter went on again.
"Where are you living? Still at
Fort Smith? Well, 1 never. Our
circuit closed fifteen miles from there
and I'm going to take holiday. I
believe I'll just drop down on you
folks for a months change. If the
old place is as slow as it used to be,
it will make an elegant place to
rest"
Benton looked beseechingly at his
wife, but she appeared oblivious to
the fact that he was still on the face
of the globe. He hesitated min
ute and then, remembering the boy
and girl friendship, he glanced at
his wife and said defantly:
I'VE should be awfully pleased to
have you.'
And Mrs. Benton astonished him
by adding, with suspicious friendli-
ness:
Eyes, do come; we shall be per-
fectly delighted"
With more astuteness than her
husband would have given her credit
for Mrs. B. had come to the conclu-
sion that dose of an old sweetheart,
when she is as impossible as Flora,
is almost as good for a man as an oc-
casional dose of rhubarb.
Flora came-Tohn Benton saw