Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1907-01-12
"A SILLY F Q Q L

| thinking Of nothing when the door was
banged open and my chum, Bill Morse.
flung himself into the room, slammed
his valise on the floor, threw his hat on
the bed and, cursing himself as the
greatest fool alive. dropped into a
chair.
/ For two weeks | had been envying
that fellow. Engaged to pre- 1ty girl,
take.of being born of poor parents, be
had gone to pass whole months va
cation in the same Connecticut village
where his sweetheart and her mother
were staying.
/ / was too surprised to do more than
stare at Bill in establishment.
This morning." said he, "Alice and
some of her girl friends started up the
! mountain for a hen picnic Mount
Riga, the people in Salisbury call it /
About 10 decided to take walk and
! accidentally meet them | took a
roundabout way, because there was
! sure to be more or less giggling when
made my appearance, no matter how
nicely it was managed
| Here Bill helped himself to my first
best pipe and heaped few more bless
ings on his head.
| Well" said he after a few stroug
pulls at the pipe, 81 soon reached
cursed little hill which sat up against
the mountain like a pimple beside
mammoth wart, and perched on the
side of the measly bunch of dirt was
an enormous rock--left there by gia-
cier, l suppose. The day it was drop
| ped there was cold, but the day Bill
Morse found it was still colder Climb
Ing up to the lower side and leaning
back against it, | took look around.
| Just then some one set off a blast or
they began cannonading off Mole St
Nicholas. Anyway the jar seemed to
shake the HILL and that stone moved |
braced myself against it instinctively.
| The motion stopped, and then came
one Of those flashes of intelligence for
| which | am famous, as you know, old
, man.
you have seen schoolteacher take
his class into the yard and demon
strate that one boy can keep a ladder
| upright by looking out for the center
of gravity, etc., and that it takes them
all to stop its falling when you let it
tip. oh, knew all about it. Bill
! Morse knew. If l let that stone get
J started, it would crush me. for it was
| SO broad | could not spring out of the
way. | bored one shoulder into the
double dyed thing and finally twisted
round so as to face it, worked my way
/ to the edge, the cold sweat standing
out all over me, and jumped clear.
| Things were dark for a moment, but |
! soon Strengthened out and looked to see
/ where the rock had fallen. 1t hadn't
/ budged"
/ was going to ask Bill If he was an
| CRY, but he had jumped up and was
| kicking his valise around the room,
and thought it was unnecessary.
Bob" he cried between the kicks.
words are poor things. I agree with
the man who said language was in
tended to conceal your real thoughts"
After a few more kicks and fresh
, pipeful Bill resumed: Il rushed round
to the top of that Internal rock. deter
mined to push it over if it didn't i'll
tend to take drop itself. | moved ii
| about an inch, and to do more than
that would require all Of the kings
horses. On, but Solomon was a wise
one! He Said all men We're fools
That stone, Bob, WasJa rocking stone
When l realized what 1t was, | won
dered why Solomon had not mention
ed me particularly, ! began talking tt
! the stone and was just beginning tt
do myself and that beastly chunk jus
tice when that hen picnic came scream
ing down the mountain side. They
had seen the whole circus. Alice gasp
ed Qut, "Oh, W-Will, it's too fu-funny?
and then put her hand to her side ant
absolutely shrieked with laughter
gave her one look and then told her ;
plain truth that l know she'll never
forgive. Then l rushed back to the
hotel, got my things, and here | am
It's all over. I'm fool, and wretch
ed one. my boy" ~~4s..zzss -
agreed With him, but DIDN'T men
ton it. Then the light, was turned ons
and we turned in. Slept, but dom
/, think Bill did. He/moped arouad, tn
house and ate precious 4ittle.. Tn
landlady was Sure he ought to see
doctor If |, tried to cheer him up. b
only. scowled and cursed himsel
Connecticut, the big hill, the little hi
and everything except the girl
mighty sensible girl. too, as you wi
see, for few days after, as | wa
entering the house, out rushed Bill q
happy man as you would want
meet. He had received a note frc.s
Alice and was ION his way to see he
This is, what she said 4.sz-sygrasGEsasa
Dear Will7We reached home TODAY
told mother / simply would not stav the,
another hour when / found YOU were n,
sornIng back. Do come and see me an
bring your forgiveness With YOU. ( kno-
\ was Just what you said "a blank