The Cairo bulletin., 1911-06-08
WINNIE AND
FRANK
By F. A. mitchell
Copyright by American Press Assoc
citation, 1871
By F. A. mitchell

Mr.. Scarborough anu ! are very good
friends very good friends indeed
The question is whether we shah be
more than friends. We like each other
pretty well, but for my part there is
one other that I'm not sure | love bet
ter than / love him. One day Mr., Seer
borough and | went out in boat, and
ii was evident before we had been to-
gether long that our minds were on
the great question Shall we be more
than friends?' We were very prac-
teal about it. exchanging views with
a frankness not usual in such cases.
"For my part" be said, II feel that
love you better than any other per
son in the world excepting one. That
person. | confess. do not approve
of-one whose intellect Is not by any
means of the highest aud whose good
intentions are often not carried out
How singular" ! exclaimed. You
have spoken my case as well as your
own. There is one whom | prefer to
you. But, gracious, how faulty! con.
fess am often put to the blush on
account of Franks shortcomings"
SELFISH"
selfish at times beyond measure"
That's just the way with my Win
ME"
How is it, then, that we prefer
these unworthy persons 10 each
other?" / asked
There was a brief silence, at the
end of which he asked;
''TIow long have you known this
person."
MANY years
Il have noticed that the longer |
have known Frank the greater selfish
ness | find
Same here We have been compar
ions since we were wee little things
My theory is that it is propinqUity |
have known my Winnie and you have
known your Frank so long that asso
citation has besotten love
But love is blind If this is love we
feel for those persons how is il lhat
we see their faults so plainlr?"
Are what we see in theEi rcalIy
faults?"
What do you mean by that|'
81 will explain. snatched q kiss
from you. You are angry and blame
me- In other words yen consider that
/ have committed fault, whereas
have simply been following a ma .uraG
instinct Now, your Frank may place
you in an embarrassing position with
out any intention to do SO, yet you
consider him at fault"
"That may apply to your Winnie,
but not to my Frank | confess you
are much more worthy Of my love
than Frank My love for Frank adj
nit is mexcusabIe, and yet | can't
help it," Is.
"And win admit that my Winnic's
thoughts and acts are gross in com.
parison with yours"
GLOW can you love such a person.
Il would rather call it preference
! than love"
There again we agree; it is prefer
ence in my case too.
| While we were talking Il cloud had
been gathering behind us. Our backs
being turned toward It, we did not see
1t. We were sitting in the stern Of the
boat. while / held the main sheet in my
hand, Suddenly squal struck. us
and capsized the boat which. sank
| Three of us were in the water TO.
| gether Mr. Scarborough. ! and one life
, preserver. Mr.. Scarborough could not
swim at all. very little. few
| strokes took me to the corks. Mr.
| Scarborough could not reach them
| though they were not a mans length
| from him. He went down. and when
| he came up. by desperate effort,
reached him with the life preserver
Take hold of IT," | cried
"No; it will bear but one of us"
II can SWIM
"Not enough TO save yourself
He went down a second time When
he came up I fought TO get the pre-
| server around him. He was uncon
scious, and l partly succeeded Then
q boats nose poked itself against us
The rain and the wind beating up the
waves had concealed it from us.
hand grasped each one of us and
dragged us into the boat
I hung over him anxiously until we
got him to shore, where we applied The
| usual restorativcs in such cases Aft
! or awhile he showed signs Of life ant
finally came to himself
| The same evening. after having beef
revived. we resumed the talk that bar
been interrupted by the squat Blu
we now chatted under very differen
| conditions. We had been dumped il
| the water with--so far as we knew a
| the time--a chance for but one to b.
saved Each had preferred that Thu
other have that chance. We sat lock
ed in each others arms.
ut has been proved conclusively to
| day" he said, that these other lovers
of ours must take a back seat,
would not have done for Winnie wha
/ did for yon."
Nor | for Frank"
ITS an Ill wind that blows nobod.
any goodl ,rhe squall blew us int
the water. cut 1t blew away at Tin
same time our INDIGESTION between eacI
other and these two other lovers
Thank hcnvcn for that was aw
fully tired Of II But tell me who 1
this Winifred that has been my riv1lT