The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-08-03
ALL A MISTAKE.
BY Frank A. Myers.


half" she said, the spirit Of jest fill
Ing the words. I'm mean l know,
but not so mean as to find pleasure
IN the death of any one l know"
Same kind Of gladness, eh, that l
have when kick a mean mans mean
dog?"
Nov you want to find out the kind
OF gladness, see, but I'm not going
to tell you. You must be satisfied
with my statement that I'm glad.
That's enough for a sick man like
YOU" There was ssoftness In her
laugh that could not be mistaken.
even by one love-hlind.
said like a parent to child that
hasn't yet come to its sense Of rea-
son." he said without intending Of
tense. He remembered, however, that
she had sawed him short off at the
knees" one time in a grocery store.
That's the right way to treat all
unreasoning children. I think, and !
don't believe I'm wrong. She &C.
commodated her step to Mers slow,
feeble movement.
Wrong! How could you bel" This
was mere bit Of pleasantly. She 50
accepted it.
Were you ever wrong?" she asked
farcically.
"Never!"
Except when you had your for.
tune told,' she amended with grin
that she afterwards felt ashamed Of
and without any grounds.
"One thing in that fortune business
did come true,' he said.
Something did happen, I know, but
then it was a mere happen so.''
THAT was all.'
"She didn't know a thing about it
no more than the man in the moon;
and I suppose she tells pretty much
the same story to every silly person
that pays here"
And they believe it ALL" consented
Mel.
Swallow every word Of it. We
were WISER" She laughed at her
own remark
I'm not" he said. She was puz-
zled at him.
"Not?" interrogatively.
mo. Why, believe in charms and
spells and all that sort of thing-in
fate and luck. Why, when I was a
boy I washed my hands in stump
water to take my warts off," He
never had a wart on his hands. And
I've sliced big potato and rubbed it
over them and buried the slices under
the door step. i've knotted a thread
fhnva 11I
thread under the door step, and I've
rubbed the milk of milk-weed on
them, and had an old fellow say
charms over them. and all that. O,
believe in SIGH things
did your warts go way" looking
silly at him. He held out hand and
| said. . ... .~
"See?"
II see." She thought.
"You don't believe it?'
LAS much as you do" coldly.
"Finney believes it." AS soon as
he had said this he saw it was q
serious mistake. It gave her room
to think he was jealous Of Finney
He was not and above all did not
want her to think so. Upon the other
hand, to know that one is jealous is q
| subtle flattery. No one Is jealous OF
one he loves not. This fact Mel then
! did not know.
HE does!" she gurgled out in ap-
parent mirth which caused him to feel
| worse, If possible.
Don't you know it," he said in the
sharp manner Of one irritated and
| disconnected.
perhaps I do" gratified at his IT.
ritation. He felt it was a taunt, and
he longed to know the truth.
Il should think you would" sui
lenly.
NOW you are getting angry" she
| said. That she should make such a
remark did not offend. it hurt. He
knew he was half angry, but like
most people he did not relish being
told so.
mo I'm not; and you don't think I
am"
think SOP"
"Of course I do
well, there's no disputing ones
word, believe what we please"
you've never seen me angry?'
well, you don't want to. I'm a
holy terror when I'm mad"
Us that sol" she exclaimed, smil-
ing ironically.
And I'm not trying to scare you
when I say so.'
Don't fool yourself-you couldn't
scare me-"
I'm not so sure of that"
Il am" she said
At her gate he babe her good night
and slowly returned home. This light
conversation had done him good, and
from his point of view Ia noted a
decided progress in their awakening
friendship. For one thing r. yet was
unable to know what manner Of girl
she was. She was not like other girls.
ho i,I