The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-07
BATTLE OF THE BOOKS-By Adele Marie Shaw

{, word. He foresaw that he was to deal | with an evasive person.
 Dear. no! What was I thinking of? she retracted. "Tomorrow's Saturday I'm dining with such interesting people then! MT. St. Clair is to be there. Have you seen him in The Double Neson?' Oh you ought to! Now, when-Fm to be away Sunday. Monday-can you come Monday, MT. Bigelow?" Mrs. Bicks put the question, dimpling again.
 In the little that he could, without
 actual rudeness, make the chance to say,
 Bgelow managed to underscore his de- light at the invitation, to convey, with
 out too crass an anticipation, that he
 looked upon Monday evening as a Mecca toward which travel would be pleasant As he put her iagrantly perfumed vis- iting card into his pocket he considered seriously the fluffy little lady who had been described to him as foxy politi-
 cian." Poltlciapt With that soft flesh
 encasing those tiny bones, with that schoolgirl whine and lisp and the ap- pealing eyes! 'Hmp!'' said Bigelow, She's new to me-
 Nice boy" commented Mrs. Bicks to Miss Wilkins after Bigelow had gone. And added, But you oon't take much in , terest in the men, do you, Miss Wilkins?' which was intended to imply that the men | took no interest in Miss Wilkins. Between the Friday of this interview and the Monday of his appointment Big elow, invigorated by the arrival of Tony and inspired by a large and ignorant contempt for Bagley, the Jones and Burn aby agent, visited diligently among the members of the Board of Education, throwing the glamour of his own enthu- sasm about the Supplementary Specials He smiled a little thoughtfully at the dis covery that Bagley had had Mrs. Bicks at the theatre on Friday evening and had been automobiling with her on Sunday There was only one man to fear, and that was Bagley; the other agents had practically withdrawn. He wondered why his predecessor had been called off in the middle of a campaign, why one of the more experienced agents had not been sent to handle a thing so important "The | U. P. A. must have confidence in me, he meditated happily
 Tony cheered him departing for the nest" After that Bagley man anything human would be relief was her biased comment. Shell be so sick of him and his books she'll be thankful to see you. ' Certainly Mrs. Bicks was sweetly cor
 
 couldn't help the assurance that he could 1 talk as well as Bagley, and his hostess responded with a lively grasp of the good | points he illuminated in the Specials 1 They fell into reminiscence over some of l the "selections."
 When I was a kid,' said Tom, "I had 1 a teacher who was so afraid she might say kittle' for kettle that she always called it kattle.'" Mrs. Bicks rippled prettily with laughter.
 q wish you could have heard the girl who just spoiled the last high school speaking Oh, that this too, too solid fish would meltn she shouted. People giggled all the evening" recounted Mrs Bicks and Tom answered with the terri. ply particular English teacher whose
 metculous habits of speech never got her further than Each child will now take their book" These are not anec- dotes that would sparkle in biography but over them the two grew >chummy. "The best things about our readers, proclaimed Tom. is that they haven't a poor thing in them. They're literature , They've got awfully few good speak. ing pieces" objected Mrs Bicks INC real striking pathos or humor. People like humor. Dickens and Lowell and al those writers are so tame for speaking. '
 ''The next edition is going to improve that" put in Blgelow glibly. "The series has been arranged by one of the best master of literature in the country, bu, he lacks practical touch with the pupils Now. If you would consent to advise us about the new edition"
 That would be interesting work. breathed Mrs. Bicks softly. She leaned nearer across Bigelows shoulder. He wal beside her on the cozy corner "divan,