Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-05-28

seed none OBJ dem t'ings," Mandy In
terrupted as she tried to arrange a
few short stemmed posies In a varie-
gated bouquet.
well what do you think Of that"
Polly gasped. You're the first RUDE 1
ever saw that hadn't" She was look
ing at him as though he were a curl
osity.
80 I'm a Rube!' Douglas shook his
head with a sad little smile and good
naturally agreed that he had some
times feared rs much.
That's what we always calls a guy
like you," she explained i~ngenuously
and added hopefully: well, you must
"a seen our parade. All the pikers see
that. 1t don't cost nothin'."
"T'm afraid I must also plead guilty
to the charge Of being a piker," Doug
las admitted. half sheepishly, "for 1 did
see the parade"
"Well I was the OF the white
horse right behind the lion cage" she
began excitedly. you remember?"
"It's a little confused In my mind
he caught her look of amazement-'1ust
at present." he stammered, feeling her
wrath again about to descend upon
him.
"Well. I'm the tw~enty-four sheet
stand" she explained.
"Sheet!" Mandy shrieked from her
corner.
Eyes, the billboards, the pictures"
Polly said, growing impatient at their
persistent stupidity.
"She suah am a funny talkin' thing!"
mumbled Mandy to herself as she clip
ped the withered leaves from a plant
near the window.
"You are dead sure they know I amt
comm onr' Polly asked, with a linger-
ing suspicion In her voice.
Dead sure" And Douglas smiled to
himself as he lapsed into her nac
lar.
There was a moments pause. Polly
realized for the first time that she must
actually readjust herself to a new or
der of things. Her eyes again roved
about the room. It was a cheerful
place in which to be imprisoned. Even
Polly could not deny that. The broad
window at the back, with its white and
pink chintz curtains on the inside and
Its frame Of ivy on the outside, spoke
of singing birds and sunshine all day
long. Everything from the white cell
ing to the sweet smelling mating that
covered the floor was spotlessly clean
The cane bottomed rocker heal the
curved window seat with Its pretty
pillows ted Of -days-when "a GONZALES
cent might look in comfort at the gar
den beneath. The counterpart, with its
old fashioned rose pattern; the little
white tides on the back of each chair
and Mandy grooming beside the win
dow all helped to make a homelike pic
ture.
She wondered what Jim and Toby
would say If they could see her now,
sitting like a queen In the midst Of her
soft coverlets, with no need to raise
even a finger to wait upon herself.
"Ain't 1t the limitT" she sighed, and
with that Jim and Toby seemed to
drift farther away. She began to
see their life apart from hers. She
could picture Jim with his head In
his hands. She could hear his sharp
orders to the men. He was always
short with the others when anything
went wrong with her.
"I'l bet 'Muvver Jim's' In the
Dumps" she murmured as a cloud
stole across the howerlike face; then
the tired muscles relaxed. and she
ceased to rebel.
"Muvver JimT Douglas repeated,
feeling that he must recall her to a
knowledge of his presence.
that's what I call him." Polly ex-
planned, but the fellows call him Big
JIM You might not think Jim could
be a good mother just to look at him,