The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-08-11
Three Falls
BY Josephine Van 7. Bruorfon.

The nrst time he met her he liter
ally fell at her feet.
He had been stealing apples from
her grandfather's apple trees, and
Just As she came down the lane over
which the heavfly-weighted boughs ct
the Baldwin tree hung, Dana Orcutt
gave him a push and he crashed down
to the ground. pulling Dana with him
10 the feet Of Elsie North And there
they had been, metaphorically, ever
since.
Elsie didn't laugh-she helped him
up and smoothed out his rumpled
clothes-and incidentally his rumpled
pride-and from that very moment
Tommy adored her.
The second fall was even more
rumpling to both clothes and pride
but he fell at Elsie's feet just the
same.
1t was that last year at the Ander-
5 Vile High. or course, the seniors went
everywhere together. And this par
dcular night they had all rendez-
voused ON the back piazza of the
North house. All, that Is to say. ex-
cept Elsie and her chum, Sis Bartlett.
The big veranda had proved all too
small for the big class; and so those
Two had taken themselves and their
chairs to the sioping lawn. close to
the foot OF the veranda steps.
Tommy Simmons was late, and
though he hurried as fast as he could.
he was the very last one to get to
the North house. He couldn't see a
soul at the front OF the house, so he
rang the bell. The maid showed him
through the long hall. which divided
the house from east to west, to the
door which opened out on to the
back piazza.
Tommy's glance swept the long,
wide piazza 1t fell upon his divinity
at the foot Of the steps. And In an.
other second he fell on her, literally
and heavily. for Tommy was no feath-
er-weight, but the biggest fellow in
the class. and, making his way, as he
was wont, direct to his goal, he took
no heed to his steps and 30 fell an
eTsy prey to foot, slyly out-thrust
against his.
The class roared-one big, unani-
nous roar; for nobody but Tommy
saw the foot, which was as slyly and
quickly withdrawn as 1t had been out
ffung, and Tommy's stumblings were
prcverbial
Az the faces. but Elsie's, were all
a-erin; but hers was as sweetly Sc
f1ous as ever, and full Of a tender
pity for Tommy that went fast tow
ard making like bearable. just then.
:. "Don's mind. Tommy" she whis-
pered, ss she let Tommy pick her up.
and stood quietly waiting while he
pleked up her chair and brushed his
dusty coat, 81 know some one must
have tripped you. or II wouldn't have
happened"
She looked up at him, waiting for
1he confirmation of her suspicion; but
Tommy was no telhale. and he never
pesched. But. afterward. when they
were all going home together after
b1dding Elsie goodnight, he got Dana
Orcutt OF on a side lane and whipped
the life nearly out OF him. Dana
considered himself q rival to Tommy.
for he thought he loved Elsie as
much a. Tommy did.
= After the graduating exercises,
whore Tommy was class orator and
Elsie class poet he went away to
Harvard; and she, because her moth
or was old-fashioned and did not be-
Have In colleges for girls or co-edu-
ton either, for that matter, went
young ladies' finishing school
lere that same mother had I'm
Ishedc. years ago.
Z When he finished the course, he
look a course at law and finslly, after
reading a year or two with an old
tudge. o friend OF his father, Tom de-
dded 10 hang up his shingle in An
derviIIe. All this time Elsie and he
hsd never happened to meet. OF
Irsc. their correspondence had long
calgone the way of all other
lr<ffnl correspondence; and have
shlewd suspicion that Tommy.
Z afterward ne vowed that he
ways been faithful, had almost
item Elsie. Dana orcut had been