The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-07-12
When He Was kina.

Don't talk to me-" said the man
with the heavy eyebrows, about the
charms of ingenious youth or the
happy days when we believed in the
world and were green. l suffered in
those good old days.
IF there is any agony worse than
not being exactly sure of the right
thing to do in any situation I'd like to
know it! There's an immense COM
fort that comes with getting wise and
sophisticated with accommodating years.
81 guess was about seventeen when
l went to spend vacation with my
married sister, who lived in Chicago.
It had been my first year away at
school in a small college town near
our old home and Chicago was great
proposition for me. l certainly had
the time Of my young life and in ad-
dition to that fell in love.
1T was my first experience and so
it marked an epoch. And she was
poem. Sometimes nowadays when
run across a girl who looks like a
cross between a French fluffy haired
doll, Christmas angel and little Eva,
it reminds rue of Gwendolyn and |
wonder how much she weighs now
and how large her family is.
"In those days she was fragile,
ethereal creature who had just
learned how to use her eyes and
worked them overtime for fear she
would forget the method. Whenever
she turned them on me ! felt repaid
for all the empty seventeen years
which had gone before.
well, when l had to tear myself
away at the behest of a heartless col
lege felt that l wanted to give
Gwendolyn something SO that she
would not forget me. had visions of
diamond tiaras and ropes of pearls as
the appropriate testimonials OF her,
but took the precautiOn to consult
my sister. She informed me I'd
get in all wrong if sent Gwen any
thing more than candy or books or
flowers. That being the case,
marched in to the most expensive
candy shop in town. My good will
was a trifle restricted by my pocket
book, which was fiat Two dollars
was what / decided l could spend.
The candy shop was gorgeous place,
with bonbons the like of which l had
never seen before. l browsed about
and finally ran onto a tray of candied
violets. They were new to me and
they certainly were pretty. ap-
proched clerk.
"'Give me- said l., two dollars
worth of those!'
1.-The clerk, accustomed to sprink-
ling half dozen of the violets on the /
top of box of candy for decoration
only, looked puzzled, but filled my Or
der. 1t made about as big package
! swallowed hard and plunged.
Better make it four dollars
worth muttered. She doubled the
order and even then the package was
wretchedIy small. / couldn't think of
insulting Gwendolyn with it and
didn't dare switch my order to some
thing else under the stony disdain OF
the clerk. TO cut it short, l sent Gwen
six dollars worth of candied violets
and | bet she had fit when she got
'em! l know that my sister had one
at my mere telling of what had done. L
She said that if Gwendolyn hadn't any K
more sense than to eat them up I'd
probably killed her and that II she did a
have sense and gave them away in all s
likelihood she'd be sued for damages. i
IF anyone mentioned candied violets /
in my presence for months after that v
I'd take chill. 1t was just as if had p
tried to prove my love by sending the o
young woman a barrel of dill pickles. L