The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-04-14


lish race-very fierce and cantanker-
Gus. My little cousin Pollyooly here
is red Deeping."
."oh. do you think she could?" said
Mrs. Gibson eagerly.
Yes. l think she could" said the
Honorable John Ruf1n. Come here,
Pollyooly"
Pollyooly came; and he felt her BIZ
ceps carefully. Then he said:
Didn't Mr.. Vance tell me story of
a boy called Henry Virgins whom you
found disrespectful and taught man.
ners?"
PolIyooly flushed family; but she
said bravely, in an explanatory tone,
"Oh, Henry Virgins is quite easy, If
you get him by the hair first"
Il should think that Henry Virgins
was a far more active and difficult
boy in a fight than this fat little
Prince" said the Honorable John Ruff
fin.
The Prince has very short hair"
said Pollyooly in the grave tones Of
one weighing the chances Of battle.
He is cropped. The Prussians
have no esthetic sense" said the Hon
orable John Ruf1n in a disparaging
tone. But I should think that you
hair"
"oh, yes; I'm sure I could" said
Pollyocly: and her deep blue eyes be-
gan to shine. MAY smack him If he
interferes with us?"
Not on any account unless am at
hand" said the Honorable John Rufin
quickly. II have q deep, patriotic dis
trust of the chivalry of Prussian Bar
ons. I do not think that this one
could be trusted to see fair play. You
might have q Baron on your hands as
we'll as a Prince: and It might be too
much for a red Deeping of your size.
A Prince at a time should be your
motto"
cit would be very amusing" said
Mrs. Gibson; and her eyes danced.
You shall see it." said the Honor
able John Rufin amiahly. Unbiased
spectators of scene are always desir-
able; and it won't be difficult to ar
range your presence, for the business
will need little stage-managing. You
watch the Prince, Pollyooly, and see
how far he goes down the beach, so
that we can arrange the exact place
for his instruction"
The next day Pollyooly followed the
Prince to the end of his royal prog
ress twice; and she was hopeful of
provoking the fight for which she
yearned without difficulty, for he never
saw her without scowling upon her
darkly.
On the second day the Honorable
John Rufin returned from his golf in
time to lunch with them, and in
formed PoIlyooly that he proposed to
go down to the sands with them. They
found Mrs. Gibson with her children:
and she accompanied them to the spot
at which the Prince usually turned in
his course. Twenty yards beyond it
the Honorable John Rufin babe Polly
DOLLY build a castle; and then he and
Mrs. Gibson went and sat down under
the sea-wall forty yards away, and fell
into polite conversation. AS they left
her, the Honorable John Rufins last
words to Pollyooly were:
81 don't forbid you to scratch him.
Scratching is harmonious with the fe-
male nature"
The statement afforded Mrs. Gibson
grounds for the beginning of their po-
lite conversation.
Pollyooly and the Lump worked
steadily away at the building of the
castle. Pollyooly did the digging;
now and again the Lump would pat
the walls placidly. They had been at
work for rather more than half an
hour, and the castle was already be-
ginning to wear the rotund air so dear
to the eye of the builder when the
progressive Prince came in sight.
Pollyooly's joyful heart beat high. He
was slouchiDg along nearly fifty yards
in front of the fragrant Baron; and
since there were children to annoy all
ha he fT1t ell er@ua
Pollyooly time to lead the Lump half
way to Mrs. Gibson, and send him tod
ding the rest. She was back at her
castle, and at work again when the
Prince caught sight of her.
He stopped short, his unhasty mind
slowly taking in the situation. That
she should be working in loneliness,
thirty yards beyond the line Of nurses
and children along the beach, seemed
too good to be true. Then his unhur-
rying mind grasped the fact that It
was true; his heart blazed in his
bosom: he threw back his head, and
had his nose been larger he would have
shifted the breeze like a war-horse.
He advanced upon her in a quick,
stumbling SLOUGH.
Pollyooly saw his eager advance; but
she affected not to see 1t. She was
eager TOT the tray, Out IearTul lest a
display OF that eagerness should dash
the royal courage; moreover, she
wished the Prince to be flagrantly the
aggressor. She worked at the further
wall of the castle with her back to
him. A fray was the last thing the
Prince looked for. There had been
but one fray in his sheltered life; with
q brother Prince carelessly admitted
TO his society. A fray with a child
not of the blood royal was beyond
dreaming. He sprang onto the castle
wall and began to stamp and kick
breach in it with furious but clumsy
energy.
Then Pollyooly turned and sprang.
The Prince was hardly aware Of her
spring; he was only aware of sting
ing smack, and then the shock Of her
impetus toppled him over onto his
back on the sand. Pollyooly came
down too, but not on the sand she
came down onto the Prince, and far
more heavily than her fragile air war
ranted. Or ever he could collect any
scattered wits he may have CHANGED