The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-02-24

| have chance for nice qules chat,
some one else always keeps butting In"
You could have all the chance you
want" advised Howell, 'if you wasn't
botherng Grace all the time. Mr..
Pleasanton was saying just the other
nisht that Grace ought to know all
your jokes by heart now"
| "He laughed at that one about the
! girl and the COW the other night" as
serted Powers aggressiyely.
"Yes," admitted Jem. HE said it re.
minded him of the first minstrel show
he ever saw-back in the sixties"
'''lf you want drink: suggested
Powers, abandoning the warfare you
| will find the cup on the tree there"
I'm not in hurry" was the placid
response II kinder like the quiet here.
Id like to sit here alone for an hour or
so and jest sort of think things over"
Il think wed both better be getting
along" suggested Powers, with a
glance at his watch. ITS getting OH.
I'll 90 as far as Jenkins with you"
What time is ity' demanded Jem.
Half past H." Powers showed the
watch dial. Howell figured that 1T
would take ten minutes to walk onto
jenkins with Powers. He would go
up the road "A little way and then make
a cut across the fields and be back be
fore II.
Together they turned toward the
road and after a brisk walk Powers
turned in at the jenkins gate. ana Jem
kept on up the road A little distance
beyond clump of treestthrew an inky
blackness over the dust marked path,
ana in their friendly shelter Jem climb
ed the fence and made a bee line for
the spring,
He was still painting from his eXer-
lions as he reached the butternut and
encountered Powers wrathful glance.
Thought you were going to town"
he ieered.
Thought you had business with Jen-
kins," retorted Jem.
Jenkins wasn't home" announced
Powers unbushingly.
$50 you came back to get drink, .
laughed Jem unpleasantly. You had
better get it and be going on. I've an
engagement here. TO tell the truth, and
don't want you hanging around
"You2" sneered Powers, abandoning
pretense "Why, Mrs. Pleasanton fixed
the whole thing up for me-"
"She did not contradicted Jem
"You must have heard somehow and
just come around to spoil things, as
usual"
spoil thingsw echoed Powers in
dienantly. Il like that. Why if | had
less patience I'd have thrashed you long
ago for an interfering busybody.'
''If you had had more sand you'd
have tried it long ago" tainted Jem.
ITS because you know you cant lick
me you've Kept OFF. I'd have thrashed
you long ago if it hadn't seemed such
a shame to put it on chap who can't
defend himself"
Five minutes later two men with
bruised and bleeding faces abandoned
hostilties by common consent TO face
a small boy with broad grin upon his
face
what you fellows fighting for? de-
manded Pax. You amt scrappin' about
Grace, be yea"
what if we are?" asked Howell
"Nothn' much" was the cool answer,
"only il ain polite 10 scrap about mar
red ladies'"
Whose married demanded the pair
you see" explained Pax, you fel
lows amt treated me right You could |
come an see Grace and you didn't care |
anOut me Now, ma wouldn't let Vance |
come around or let Grace go out with |
him. and so he had to write letters and !
| took 'em for him. lie was nice to me |
and you fellows weren't.
Last night could see what ma was |
mp TO. aud | could tell pa was goln' to |
try the same thing | figured out that |
you'd be out of the way and mad not |
he worryin' about Grace, so she skipped !
off with Vance and went to Saltwater /
to gethmarried"
Silently Jem and Powers resumed
their coats and together they started /
for the village Pax called them back. /
Say" he advised sagely, "nex' time \
Won fellows want 20 get married YOU
remember that did this and You get
hunks with the brother; never mind
her pa and ma"
Qweev Fveak of Memory.