The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-05-09

be a pretty sight goin' into town II
didn't.
There" he said officiously, crum-
pling up large page and thrusting 1t
toward the young man, you clean that
side, and III go at this, and well soon
bave her i'm some sort of decent shape"
lie squatted beside the girl and began
scrubbing the spots as though he were
polishing harness.
The man looked at the girl, the girl
ooked at the river, and neither moved
muscle, though the man looked
sheepish with his big wad of paper
and bit helpless and quite good deal
forlorn.
"Girls IL strange critters" speculated
the old man, beginning on another spot.
"Allus doin' what they amt got no call
to do and jumpin' the traces when you
least expect 1t. Funniest part of 1t is
they don't allow as they ought to get
their come-uppances neither. If you
tell 'em not to do thing they go
straight and do II, and If they get into
trouble they expect some one to yank
'em out Here. you." he called sudden
ly to the young man, "set to and rub
out them spots-near as you can"
"I-I'm afraid 1t won't do much
good" he said. obviously eying the
girl rather than the tar smears.
The old mans eyes cleaned mis-
chievously. Haven't you been intro
duccd yet? Well. now. that's an over
sight Young man. this is a girl that
read that there sim about no treSpass-
in on these premises and decided right
off to come in and make me call.
That there barb wire fence is enough
to keep ordinary trash out, but you
can't never rcoACl on girl. Girls
mostly needs II keg o. tar, too, and she
got bOth.'
The old man backed off and squinted
his eyes. "Ml-hty fine skirt to get
scrat-Ael up. But, then, girls is skit-
tish. I'd sooner break sixteen colts one
winter than try hrinCin one girl to
time" And he grlnned illuminatingly
up at the young man from the safety
Of the back breadths of the gray skirt.
The girl shook herself impatiently.
"That will do. thank you" she said,
moving quickly forward. 1T Is grow
Ing late. / must be going"
But the old imam hal firm hold on
the skirt, and she stopped short. He
continued to rub away-he had never
stopped.
Had little experience o. that my
SELF" he said reminiscently, "when
was courtin' Mandy, Swore she
wouldn't ever have gol burned thing
to do with me--just cause held Tahi-
tina jumpers hand one sleighin' party
to see If Mandy cared. Tickled plum
crazy For the first time the old man
ceased to rub. and. half crouched, the
dirty paper crunched In his hand, he
gazed out across the river. "Queer how
kind a-durned happy a fellow can be
just cause skittish girl shows him
she cares" he muttered.
"Who-oo-oo! Who-oo-oo" A shrill,
beckoning call foated across the wood
| lot.
The old. man let the tarry paper fall
from his big hand
"Its Mandy" he said, springing up.
II guess youll have to manage now
for yourselves. Supper's waitin'." With
quick sidelong movement he was off
through the low hawthorn.
Both the man and the girl stood and
looked at the place where he had dis
appeared until the last leaf ceased to
| flutter, then slowly she turned to the
man before her. Their eyes met and
fingered for long moment fraught
with questioning. What they answered
could not be told IN words, SO the man
| fell on his knees and began-oh, so
gently!-to rub a spot of the precious
gray skirt. She stood looking down on
his broad shoulders. his big blond
head touched gold by the setting sun.
Then her eyes wavered to the crude
sign, mo Trespassing." directly In
front. With a quick movement she
reached down and ran her slender fin-
| gers through his hair. stopped and
touched his face caressingly with hers.
Beware Of the dogs" she said In a
voice that choked, but ended In a
laugh.