The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1909-03-03
DAILY snoRT sToRY
TAKING NO CHANCES

IWnere ne mas MS roll top desk.
The familiar face belonged to a
man carrying dress suit case. 1t
Twas old Bun" Lawrence-good
old scout-whom Hopkins had
chummed with In his "rah-rah"
days.
Hey, there!" he shouted.
Bun" looked around and recog-
lnized him.
well, Pm son of a gum" he
says. "if it Amt old Hop How
are you. anyway"
"Never mind about me-" says
Hopkins. I'm finer than frog
hair. But here you are as natural
as life-size photograph. and
sober, too. Well, well! I surely
am glad to see you. How longs it
been? Yes, it's four years since
that time we met In Chicago, amt
lit? Gee, time does hump along.
Don't it. Ell? Well, you come out
to the house tonight and we'll
have a good session and talk over
old times.
"Out to the house?" repeated
l"Bun." you aren't married, are
lyuh?"
yep" says Hopkins. "I'm just
that. To a peach of a girl, too.
Didn't 1 write you about 1t? Oh,
yes, that's right. I haven't writ
ten to you since you didn't an
swer my last letter. Well, any
way, my wife'll be tickled to meet
you. She's heard me tell a lot of
things that you and did together
when we were in college-and a
lot of things we probably didn't
do-huh? You know she thinks
III was the original. or rather the
aboriginal, Indian"
"Yes," says Bum "you must
have exaggerated a leetle bit IL
you've got wiley to thinkin' you
were such an Indian. You were a
good scout, of course, but then you
always had a wild idea when you
were in college that a man ought
to study part of the time"
! Hopkins became suddenly
thoughtful. Say" says he, "of
course you don't want to make
lany break out at the house to-
might. I don't suppose it would
make any difference to my wife
how decent I was when I was In
college, but then she might think
1t was funny that 1 would deliber-
ately lie to her. You'll be care
Iful?"
"Oh, sure" agreed "Bun."
l"Better let me know though, Just
what line of talk you've been
handing to your wife, SOS to know
lust where to keep off,"
Il They were nearing the point
1where Hopkins usually caught his
car now, and he was looking more
and more troubled.
A "The fact is" he began. you'll
have to be mighty careful. You
see, I've been giving the little girl
to understand that besides being
fright smart of an Indian, was
Ipretty heavy with all the goods in
college-with all the ladies, in
fact. I've got a lot Of sofa
cushions and things that I've told
her different girls gave me, and a
few photographs that I get out oc-
OCCASIONALLY and spin yarns about
what good fellows of girls they
were, how they used to send me
things when I was sick in my
room, and all that sort of thing.
She gets mad as hops, you know,
and threatens to tear up the pho
tographs. but of course 1t tickles
her to think that she managed to
win little Willie after so many of
the college girls were just crazy
about him. You can see for your
lself, I'd about lose my home il she
got any hint that any of 1t was
just CUFF"
ooh, depend on me-" assured
Bun" 'I'll make it good and
strong."
You want to be careful,
Though" insisted Hopkins. THAT
lis, you don't want to make it too
strong. She might begin to sus-
Ipect. And, let's see. I've always
had you in pretty nearly every
Thing that I've told her I did. We
really ought to have more time to
lgo over some of these things. A
lman's an internal fool to hand his
wife a lot of darn lies about him
lself, especially this deyil-of-a-
fellow stuff. amt her"
rr1-1..- L--.AI