The Mena weekly star., 1908-07-16
BILLS OFF
 SPRING
.,,n Hudson Surprised His VI old Friend.

M ,brrugh the depot WllH HIS eulJ cdSe ,a his hand. dodging in and out of the nrowd it occurred to him that about # .ho first little pleasure he would stake < s,rself to would be to go out and drop in on Jim Hudson, his roommate % !, the time he left. And just cou- nle of months ago he had learned that in, had become the doting parent of cute little youngster that had come 2 ,o occupy his time nights. # Huh. thought Bill to himself, it'll x seem funny enough to see old Jim all # ,ouse broke. That alone ought to get good hand, but to see him carrying # little Jim around and doing the fond aarent act will get the big laugh. & Wonder if he remembers how he used ,o roast babies when we used to room {. .to0ether. Gee, but he used to ma #bgp people who had kids to holler and wake us up mornings"
 Jim came to the door and greeted bis old chum warmly. Then he intro # Snced him to Mrs Jim. She sized up as a mighty pretty, stylish, little wom-
 
 on of the jolly, chum-wife kind--just inc sort of a girl for Jim, Bill thought.
 eNow. I've got treat for you" < snoke Jim, suddenly If you don't *.bink we've got about the cutest little ,oungster you've laid eyes on for #many a month.
 He hurried back into their little bed 
 room and came out with a forid-faced E*Nttle bundle that he held ap proudly for his old pal to admire and get ex- cited over
 Bill laughed He couldn't help 1t. &<lIis thoughts of the contrast between 5E E1,m's present and former attitude on sbe baby proposition would have Elbrought grin to the face of gar goyle.
 # Jim drowned. What are you laugh Z&ing at?s he asked, in sort of SUI soerlor, don't-make a monkey-out-of- z|kourself tone. Let us all in on the 8xoke.'
 |* Somehow he didn't seem like the same old Jim. Then his little wife azsort of looked puzzled, too. as if she iust couldn't figure out how a laugh *|nould possibly dovetail in just there
 Bill saw that he would have to {hedge. But then what was he going 14o say? The baby certainly wasn't ||Inuch to look at. It seemed foolish to speak of a baby being nice looking bnyhow, and they all look so nearly {! like at that age.
 W Tt-er-seems like a large baby hammered Bill at last "It looks like za smart un', too, for its age. How bld is 1t, anyhow, Jim?" & After that they all became more at ease. Jim started iu to tell of the taby's fine points of superiority over |8ther babies.
 All this didn't interest Bin at all
 He hadn't planned on talking off &pring all evening. when there was so bluch reminlscence stun to go over.
 He tried to switch Co something else. W wonder what became of old man Stewart, Jim--the fellow that used to i've across the hall from us, who was fo crazy about draw poker" M Jim shook his head This kid just laughs and plays like this all the Kline" he said. Huh! You ought to \ Dee him when he gets his bath, though.
 hats what's fun for him" M Bill tried to crank up and get fresh start. q suppose those young fters that used to live on the floor beneath us have grown to be pretty bod sized boys by this time-boys or firls whichever they were. Didn't fhey use to make racket, thought" ga We've never been up with this boy a single night" announced Jim, more
 r less irrelevantly. Well, once or 4wice Edith took him over into our Red when he was little fretful-he pad little attack of collie month or
 ago. guess any of us are little leeVish and grouchy when we've got fne tummy ache, eh. Billy?" E blll nodded and then tried to put hew cylinder Into his machine and
 pen up with a different tune-any- &hlng to get away from the model
 rogeny dope.
 # You ought to have been with me on Py California trip last summer, Jim" avs Bill T though of you many a Etme."
 We'll have to stick pretty close to Pome for few years until this little 'sSe gets a little bigger and huskier."
 ays Jim, Why, we haven't even Peen to a theater since this chap game Of course, we haven't wanted
 We have fun staying home here
 no watching his little stunts. A
 Ouhgsterll do something new every 'ay ot his age tell you what you ant to do, you want to come out 
 blll said he thought that would be kleat But by and by he diplomatical- E excused himself and went back aown town, promising to come back fsain soon.
 don't believe Mir Temple cares t'ucn about babies" remarked Mrs.
 " aiter Bill had gone. E Y noo" admitted Jim apologetic-
 mebby not Of course he's
 V'er been around 'em much. Billy's
 queer sort of cuss, anyhow"
 At Tinany's.