The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-03-26
TAKING NO CHANCES.

Hopkins saw a familiar face just
as the revolving door threw him out
Of the big Office building where he has
his roll top desk. The familiar face
belonging to a man carrying dress
suit case. 1t was old Bun" Lawrence
good old scout-whom Hopkins had
chummed with in his "rah-rah" days.
"Hey there!" he shouted.
Bun" looked around and recognized
him.
well, I'm a son of gum" he says.
IL it amt old Hop How are you,
anyway"
Never mind about me-" says Hop
kins. I'm finer than frog hair. But
here you are as natural as life-size
photograph and sober too. Well, we'll!
| surely am glad to see you. How
longs It been7 Yes, four years since
that time we met in Chicago, amt it7
Gee, time does hump along. Don't 1t,
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 Bun"
you aren't married, are your
yep says Hopkins. "I'm just that.
To a peach of a girl, too. Didn't l
write you about it? Oh, yes, that's
right. 1 haven't written to you since
you didn't answer my last letter. Well,
anyway, my wife'll be tickled to meet
you She's heard me tell lot Of things
that you and 1 did together when we
we're in college-and a lot OF things
we probably didn't do-huh? You
know she thinks l was the original
or rather the aboriginal, Indian"
YES" says Bun" YOU must have
exaggerated leetle bit il you've got
wifey to thinkin' you were such an In
dian. You were a good scout, OF
course, but then you always had a
wild idea when you we're in college
that a man ought to study part OF
the time"
Hopkins became suddenly thought.
full. Say says he, "of course you
don't want to make any break out at
the house tonight. / don't ose
it would make any difference to my
wife how decent was when l was in
college, but she might think it funny
that / would deliberately lie to her.
You'll be careful?"
"Oh, sure" agreed Bun" Better
let me know. though, just what line
of talk you've been handing to your
wife, SOS to know just where to keep
off,"
They were nearing the point where
Hopkins usually caught his car now,
and he was looking more and more
troubled
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 right smart OF an
Indian, l was pretty heavy with all
the co-eds in college-with all the la
dies, in fact. I've got lot Of sofa GUS
HONS and things that I've told her
different girls gave me, and a few
ally and spin yarns about what good
fellows of girls they were, how they
used to send me things when l was
sick in my room, and all that sort Of
| thing. She gets mad as hops, you
know, and threatens to tear up the
photographs, but of course 1t tickles
her to think that she managed to win
little Willie after so many Of the col
lege girls were just crazy about him.
You can see for yourself, I'd about
lose my home IL she got any hint that
| any of it was just guff.'
"Oh, depend on me-" assured Bun"
'I'll make 1t good and strong
"You want to be careful though" in
sisted Hopkins. THAT Is don't want
to make it too strong. She might begin
TO suspect. And, let's see. I've always
had you in pretty nearly everything
that I've told her l did. We really
ought to have more time TO go over
some of these thing7 A mans an in
| fernal fool to hand his wife a lot OF
darn lies about himself, especially
this devil-of-a-fellow stun. aln't he?"
Hopkins hesitated, and then, taking
Bun" by the arm, resumed APOLOGIZE
lcally. Don't know about this, old
fellow" he said. 'Mebbe you'd bet
ter not come out know you
wouldn't give me away purposely for
anything, but then she might ask
you something and we might get
all balled up in spite of ourselves.
Honestly, / hate to think of you being
in town and not being out to take
dinner with us, but I'd be on edge all
evening for fear you'd accidentally
bawl me out. I'd stay downtown with
you for dinner. but I'd have a hard
time squaring myself if stayed away
now after the wife's got dinner ready.
Say, It's darn shame, though, that
I'll see so little of you. Come arourd
TO the office before you go out in the
morning, won't you? I feel mighty
cheap, old man, about this, but you
can see for yourself that it'd be a
dangerous proposition"
And after few handshakes and as
surances from Bun" that he wouldn't
be sore Hopkins went on home