River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1907-03-21
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)

/ never did think much of girls
neverl Either they are lanky and
Ieggy things, and think they can play
games just as well as boys, or else
they are firty and silly, and think one
ought to be always making love to
them.
Love, indeed, Such rot! Well,
don't mind telling you that last term
when / caught Stewart Mills writing 9
IoYe-lettcr to his Cousin Grace, l gave
him the worst licking he'd had in his
life. The cheek of him. You see weo
allowed him to join our fraternity
our grand, mysterious society thai
some chaps would give their ears to be
allowed to join, only we don't allow II
TO become too cheap-the Brother
hood of the Cory Hand'-and one Of
the vows we have to take is not to lei
ourselves be mixed up in any non
sense with women. We are all to be
either detectives, or pirates, or discov
erers Of unknown countries when we
gTo1 up, and in any Of those noble
professions one is sure to come to
grief IL one doesn't steer clear of the
women.
No, I never did think much of girls
aud after the episode / am about to
n9rrate-d0esn't that sound grand and
bool:y?-after the episode | am about
f. narrate, you may bet your boots
1hink lsss of them than ever.
tut It really did seem as if Marjorie
Vetschoy1e was more decent than
most of them She was older, for one
thing quite grown up; and she could
talk quite sensibly-for a girl-about
football and hockey and golf and
other things that are really worth talk
ing about. and she saw me bring gun
Into the garden without shrinking back
end crying out: ooh! do take care!
Are you sure it isn't loaded?"
So | wasn't quite so stiff and stand
Ofish with her as | am with most
girls-on principle-and / explained 70
her one or two things about sports
tnat she had got a little muddled with
and she tried her very best to under
stand, and wasn't really so stupid, for
a girl.
So [ really liked to talk to her, and
you may imagine how disguised | was
when [ came upon her one evening in
the garden with that solemn ass,
Leonard Ashwell, and / do believe he
was talking poetry about the moon
light!
As I came near, | saw Marjorie's
Aunt Henrietta coming down from the
house to look for her Marjorie Verse.
hoylg called out to me quite eagerly
to &sk what score the football team
had made No doubt she was tired to
death of Shelley and the moonlight, and
glad to have q little sensible converse
ton for a change.
"Oh! it's Tommy Braddon,' said
Aunt Henrietta meanwhile Ashwell
had sneaked off down the shrubbery.)
q am so short-sighted, but 1 really
thought"
Mr. Braddon is giving me a most
Interesting account of the game said
Marjorie.
We had quite a good talk; she
seemed to want to get the taste OF
Ashwells poetry and moonlight out OF
her mouth; but half an hour after, when
/ strolled down the garden to have
a surreptitious cigarette, blessed il
ne wasn't at it again! looking at her as
sentimentally as-as cat at a saucer
Of cream But there wasn't much
sentiment after | Joined them, you
bet!
Then that Ashwell began trying tc
make friends with me-asked me into
his room to have a quiet smoke, and
SO on. [ suppose he saw that Miss
Verscboyle thought no end of me, and
so he wanted to get on my right side
But I'm not so easily fooled.
Miss Verschoyle was quite inter
ested to hear that l had been in his
rooms. and asked me heaps of ques
tions about the furniture and orna
ments. and especially about the photo
graphs.
WAS there one of Miss Disart?" she
asked. Miss Disart was girl who was
staying at our home, too-a handsome
girl, but not my style, who was max
ing dead set at Leonard Ashwell.
NO" l told her, there wasn't one
Of Miss Disart, but there was por
trait on his writing-table that he was
always gazing at when he thought
wasn't looking"
"What-what was it lke?" she
asked
We'll. / think it was an actress"
said. (She quite shuddereO. "Sht
had a star in her hair, and stars OF
her dress, and great deal of bare
shoulder"
Miss Verschoyle blushed. Fame!
blushing because I talked of an actress
bare shoulder! But l like girls to b'
simple, don't you? For us men it!
quite different, but girl can't be tot
simple for me.
And you're sure there isn't one o
Miss Disart?" she asked again.
Sure" | said I've got one of her