Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1912-04-18
A BOY AND
A GIRL
BY JOHN L. PURDY


mother ! was left an orphan my aunt
took me to live with her | was then
lad of ten. Bertha a year younger.
was too much Of a boy to appreciate
Bertha, having very little use for girls
and setting great store by football,
baseball. tennis and kindred games. /
have photograph Of her when she
was fifteen, and when | look at that
charming little face with those maiden.
~ eyes | wonder how | could have
been indifferent to her.
Bertha seemed TO like to be with
me. She was always glad when it
stormed SO hard that I couldn't play
outdoor games and was Obliged to stay
In the house and play dominos or
checkers with her games | considered
very dull And when | was kept in
on account Of some indisposition she
would sit by my lounge or my bed or
whatever | rested on and read to me. It
did not occur to me 20 be grateful for
this | simply regarded it as very
natural thing that the inferior being.
girl. should minister to the superior
being boy.
| remember that though manly in
some things | was inexpressably weak
in others. regret to say that 1t usual
ly took me from half to three quarters
Of an hour TO get dose Of medicine
into my stomach. Threats, contempt,
irony. were insufficient to put enough
courage into me for the purpose. On
one occasion, after being alternately
bribed and threatened to no purpose,
! finally made up my mind to have the
thing over with and took the dose
down at a gulp When a little later
was asked if | had taken II Bertha,
who was sitting beside me, said, eyes.
and he took 1t very well too"
That was the first realization I had
that there was anything admirable in
q girl, Indeed, / was very much
ashamed of myself and just trne
grateful to Bertha for standing up for
me who didn't deserve anything but
spanking
As we grew older came to consider
myself n sort Of protector TO Bertha,
looking upon her as something very
weak that needed something very
strong to keep her out of trouble or
danger ! didn't know exactly what.
The truth Is that Bertha didn't need
my strong arm at ALL while ! needed
a certain moral courage there WIS In
her very much
Then | went away to boarding
school, and when | returned at six
teen II occurred TO me for the first
time that Bertha was rather pretty
girl. | felt just a little proud OF her
and wouldn't mind some of my boy
friC nds seeing her When two years
later | brought one Of my classmates
home with me there was something
about the admiration he expressed for
her that annoyed me exceedingly.
After that instead of Wishing my
friends TO see her | preferred that
they keep away. In fact, | was mean
enough not to Invite them te my home
One Christmas while / was at col
lege some one gave Bertha an es-
crltolre. When | came home for the
spring recess she was wearing tiny
gold plated key on narrow velvet
ribbon about her neck. | asked her
what the key unlocked. and she said
1t was a drawer In her desk. | asked
her what that drawer contained that
was so precious. and for reply she
gave me only a blush,
4, L.. f,,N
friend and enduring his admiration
of her Some fellow had been snoop-
Ing around and | wished to know
who he was. or course didn't want
Bertha for myself I had seen sew
eral girls while at college who could
cut n much finer swath than she
But what business had any other man
to come into the house, and well, it
was dead wrong
When | returned the next June
graduate | found that Bertha had not
only budded but doomed she was
past twenty She still wore the key.
l didn't see any fellow hanging round
her, but supposed that he was some
where else was dishonorahle
enough 10 lay plans to get into the
treasure drawer and learn who he was.
One day saw Bertha's desk standing
open, and on the blotter she used to
write on was the little key | knew
| had no business to pry into her af-
fairs but either ! did not realize what
n contemplate thing 1t was 70 do or
I was too deeply interested to refrain
from obeying the dictates Of ieal-
ousy | took up the key and, insert
ing II in the lock. opened the treasure
drawer. On the top OF what was in it
was the asca's photograph but in an
envelope | could feel it ! yielded 20
temptation and took Il out II was my
own picture taken when between boy
and youth.
Investigating further found scrap
Of my writing and on reading II rec
ogni2ed something complimentary l
had written her ten years before.
From an overweening eonceit | drop
ped into Il bottomleSs pit of unworthi-
ness. So great was the change that II
was long while before | could screw
up my courage to tell Bertha ! loved