The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1910-07-02
THE MAN
Halter

Mics Pine SiduC6u up ALUM ASI Sd1
=, bod and her eyes encountered
w ronnd. blue ones. set in a square,
Smiling face, behind which big
u hat Jared out. The elastic which
s s the hat in place was convenient
= n not artistically. hitched under
ne tip of the wearer's nose.
~cood morning" said the owner of
.,a h1ue eyes, taking a few tentative
tons s toward Miss Pine. What are
am planting some flowers" was
ao renly. ''What are you doing this
fine morning"
.T,m lust taking a walk" answered
.,o blue-eyed one. casually. THAT is,
thought I'd come and walk past
vour house and see what you were do
Ing. l thought you might be out
She clasped her hands behind her
hock and regarded Miss Pine visit.
fully.
ond stay with you awhile if you asked
me- she ventured presently.
Miss Pine looked properly embar-
raised and apologize. Il beg your
nardon.'' she said. do please come
n I have such awfully poor man
ners. never thought to ask you"
The caller promptly came. I think
vop have very nice manners" she re-
marked consolingly. Everybody for
GETS sometimes"
She carefully examined a big stone
that Law near the walk. then, gather
ing her skirts tightly about her plump
knees, she sat down upon it. tipping
her feet up SO that only her toes
touched the ground.
"once," she said, when she was COM
fortably seated, "a boy told me to sit
on a stone like this one and when I
cot I'D | found it was on top of an
ant hill" She gave q retrospective
Wriggle.
ut was awful TERRIBLE she assured
Miss Pine in hushed tone. "They
bit me dreadfully and I cried for
hours and hours. ! had always been
told that if didn't hurt the creatures
they wouldn't hurt me, so was very
much Tieved in my inside feelings
and my outside ones, too"
q don't wonder sympathized Miss
Pine. But / don't think there are
any ants under that stone. It was
put there only yesterday
Il think I'd better watch, though"
returned the caller. peering about
anxiousIy. What are you planting?"
"Pansies," said Miss Pine. Have
you planted any at your house?"
Blue Eyes shifted disgustedly 1--WE
did plant some" she replied, .but
boy came and kicked them all up with
his foot. We do have the most awful
time with boys, ! don't see what they
ware ever made for
oh, think they have their uses,
said Miss Pine, tolerantly. Don't
you know any nice boys?"
There aren't any nice ones,'' Blue
Eyes assured her, earnestly. They're
all bad. Even the grown-up ones I
don't like very much. except my dad
dy, but he's so different from the rest
Of them. Uneles are growp-up boys,
you know, and don't like them at all.
have several uncles, and they tease
me sometimes till ! can hardly bear it.
There's a very bad boy that lives
next door to US" Blue Eyes continued,
ruminatingly. "You know, I have a
lovely dog Father says he's more
kinds of dog than he ever knew of
before, and this bad boy next door
calls him cur. ! think that's a mean
thing to say and it hurts Tadpole's
feelings. Tadpole's the name of my
dog Uncle Jack named him and all
the other uncles would call him that,
SO thought the easiest way was just
TO pretend liked it and let it be his
name
Are you married?'' she interrupted
herself to ask. anxiousIy.
No" said Miss Pine. land, frank.
~, just between you and me. don't
ever expect to be-"
Blue Eyes clapped her hands de.
hghtedly. Then she got up from the
stone, stepping In a rather gingerly
way until she had safely cleared it's
enV1rons. She threw her arms around
the knees of Miss Pine and Rugged
them enthusiastically.
"oh, isn't that perfectly lovely!"
she rejoiced. I'm never going to be
married myself unless boys get lots
nicer than they are now. Don't you
think it would be just the loveliest
thing IN the world for me and you and
my mother 70 live together and plant
things and take care of Tadpole and
not ever have any brothers or uncles
OF husbands or anything, but just
nave good time and be widows?"