The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1908-10-09
Kitty, Sam and the
Peacemaker.
By COLIN S. COLLINS.
Copyrighted, 1908, by Associated
Cop' Literary Press.

md Miss NORWOOD st"Se' W.,
ANU Eittv felt the strain. thon%l ",;cA
anu anu. mental obligation to do EosAi::::;.
,yot in any way might be constrr"
~. w. an overture Of friendship.
NV =. had III started innocently enough
,,it.r on her way to the postofiice On,
NJ. ntorpd lin Saunders. She regarded
conndprs as a persistent pest, but sic
"'IL NOT very we'll refuse his suggcs-
w. +bot they stop in at the drug store
snd have a glass Of soda.
Thon if happened that they turned
80. PnIdipg street in animated con
'',Y and Sam could not know
,,or had met Just around the corner.
0f all fine summer visitors to Au-
,,rnviIle Sam disliked Saunders the
,mnst and Kitty knew it. 1t looked to
Kim &C though she had deliberately ac-
n,ntod Saunders attentions to punish
Mn, for q trivial quarrel of the night
before.
Xiv was Just finishing the last tiny
hmm of ice cream from the bottom Of
III, fall cIass when Sam entered the
s+oro with Belle Paulding, Kitty's
dearest enemy.
10 had bowed stitfiy in salutation,
and Kitty had responded with a ''Good
morpng Nj. Hastings" emphasizing
+bo name as sweetly and as cOldly as
tbo frozen delicacy she had just con-
sumed.
That had been the start of the trou-
lilo hut the end had been slow in COM
ing That afternoon Kitty went mo-
toripr with Saunders, though she hated
motor cars. and Belle went buggy
riding with Sam to punish Saunders
for his imagined disloyalty.
Saunders and Miss Paulding had
quickly patched their quarrel up, but
Kitty was unyielding and there was
sauareness to Sans chin that did not
argue in favor of pliability of person
atty.
With ceremonious politsness each
strove to show the other how little it
mattered. but Kitty cried herself to
sleep night after night, and Sam swore
softly, but fervently, at what he was
pleased TO term the foolishness of wO-
mankind
So matters stood when the excursion
Of the Auburnville cornet band was
announced The boys needed new uni
forms. and Dick Potts had promised
to learn the euphonium if they would
buy him one.
All public spirited citizens purchased
tickets. Sam bought two through
force of habit and then viciously tore
them up whereby the band profted
another 80 cents, for Sam was de-
termiled to go on that excursion if
only to show that he could go without
Kitty
He had never gone on an excursion
alone save once, when Kitty was
spending a week with her aunt over in
Cadyvile, and he had had miserable
time. Now he did not look for enjoy
ment, but Kitty needn't think he could
not go alone if he wanted to.
Much the same sentiment animated
Kitty, though she arranged to go with
married sister. and it so happened
that they passed over the gangplank
together, with the formal greeting that
was now customary.
The picnic was held on Paddle is
land, out in the lake, a favorite picnic
ground. \ narrow strip of land con-
lected two rough oval eXtremities that
by an abuse Of the Imagination might
be said to resemble a paddle. Bobby
Seaton, who was in the primary class,
aptly, if improperly, described it as "a
peninsula with an island at each end"
AS soon as lunch was disposed Of
the elders settled themselves near the
baskets, while the young folk wander
ed off to either end of the island, fol-
lowed by a fusillade of injunctions to
hurry back the moment the first whis-
tie sounded
Sam and Kitty followed suit, but
sam made certain that Kitty was
headed for the southern blade of the
paddle before he started north. It was
Weary work sitting all alone on the
point, and presently the fresh air and
Tue soft bed of pine needles combined
10 bring sleep to the worried brain.
IL seemed to Sam that he had en-
sved only a brief nap, but by the
uae he had hunted up the cabin some
y The boys had built for use in the
uuck season and had borrowed the
eatnlng trunks he found there he was
u the cool water a few minutes when
TUE warning whistle blew.
!, Nadly he dashed from the water into
.ue nut to find that in that brief in
~ital some one had "chawed' his
s'o'neS. His underwear was as full
Knots as a snake that had been
n,s,uching off full set of pool balls
10 trousers were tied into a true low
40 Knot that suggested anything bu
os and the laces of his shoes
Saerea a good ten minutes of unpick
Ms MS sam was still surveying the dam
ee When the second whistle sounded
now, durn YEP he cried savagely
ss ue attacked the knots. eff you
~ n wait for fellow I'll swim for 1t
th,l not goin' to make my dee-bu il
sn Nc cast glance of scorn at the in
t aa swimming trunks and at
So .Aed the knots with haste tina
Th .lled the old adage as to speed
che che ooat was a good half mile fron
thO ole as he burst through the bushes
shs ' grew about the rude landing ant
NJ his fist at the departing steamer
ot .s. was still expressing his opinion
n, lungs when there was a rustic il
D., bushes. and Sam turned to fac