Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1910-02-24
AT THE JUNCTION
By DONALD ALLEN
copyright. 1909 by Associated Literary Press)

earth, but then 1t began to rain and
she had to seek shelter. The young
man also sought shelter.
The sitting room was about IL feet
square. It contained a rusty stove and
a single bench It's windows had not
been washed since the surrender OF
Lord CORVALLIS and the only picture
on the walls was that of young lady
with long hair and holding in her hand
a bottle Of the stun that did the trick.
Miss Carrie took one end of the bench
and the young man the other. For
20 minutes she gazed at her toes and
he at his. Then they raised their
eyes as high as the long-haired girl
and kept them there long time. She
could have grown another foot OF hair
while they looked
Then the red-headed man came in
and said he guessed 1t was going to
rain, and went out again. AS 1t had
been pouring for half an hour his OBJ
servation struck home. The young
man wished to himself that he had
such father-in-law and Miss Carrie
wished to herself that he would come
to the Boston weather bureau and run
the weather for while.
Then the young man consulted his
watch. The girl wished 1t would stop
with bang, and she walked over to
one of the two windows to see II the
cow still stood out on the marsh. He
walked over to the other to see II the
haystack still stood upright or had a
Pisa tower lean to 1t. Silence for 20
minutes. The two could almost hear
more rust gathering on the stove.
Then, all of sudden. Miss Carrie
gave way. She had been wanting to
cry about something for three weeks
past. The something had come. There
were tears and sobs.
"What's-what's the natter" asked
the young man.
"You are!" she answered f1ercely.
How am If"
"You know. Here I've been for a
whole week, and you haven't-haven't
| even spoken to me! No, you haven't,
and I'm ready to tell you what think
of you'll"
But, you know-you know" he
| faltered.
"Of course, know! Was 1t my
business to come up and speak to you
first? You knew l was impatient
You knew l was lonesome. You knew
l had nowhere to go. And-and you
just walked and walked and walked
and you wouldn't even look at me-
Where are your manners, sir? Are
you stick of wood or young man?'
But I fiirted with girl once and
she froze me-" lamely protested the
young man.
But am I that girl? Are all girls
alike? Did that girl have to wait five
or six weeks at an ole junction? IL
don't want to fiirt. I want to talk
just talk want to know when that
old train Is coming-when it's going
to stop raining-what time 1t is-if
the curl has come out of my hair In
this dampness, and lots and lots more!
Why, If you hadn't been chump-l
mean II you had been a talker, we
might have had real long visit and
could have told you all about my Aunt
Sarah"
It wasn't too late to make amends
The young man hitched nearer and be-
gan to talk, and half an hour later
when the red-headed man came in to
say that the train had concluded to be
two additional hours late, the couple
gave him no attention and he went to
the house and said to his wife:
well, they've took to each other al
last, and l Just heard him ask her II
she would correspond. II it amt q
marriage within year then I'll dye
my hair and grow chin-whiskers."