Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1912-11-07
ONCE KEPT A DAIRY
BY KENNETH JONES.

pher as she turned toward the book
keeper and scrutinized him carefully
before opening her desk for the day.
did you ever keep a daryl" asked
the bookkeeper by way of reply
"Oh, you poor mani" exclaimed the
little stenographer, understandingly.
Some one found it, of course"
He nodded and sighed
"Of course, l might try to comfort
you by saying we all learn by expert
ence and there's nothing that time
doesn't heal and such things, but l
won't. It's all just SO much rubbish
to the person you try to comfort. So
I'll just admit that it's a perfectly aw-
full scrape. l can see that some" one
has found 1t who oughtn't to know"
my kid brother" explained the
bookkeeper, laconically.
What! AS bad as that?" exclaim-
ed the little stenographer, Mortified.
Its one kept quite while ago
and I'd forgotten it," began the book
keeper, Frightening up at the prospect
of unburdening his mind and gaining
sympathy. 81 noticed for two or three
days that Bill was grinning at me in
a mysterious way and this morning he
made known the secret. He found
it in an old coat pocket up in my
closet. used the pocket as a hiding
place, and haven't had that coat out
in ages to go through the pockets.
you see," he went on, ~ kept that
diary when l had an awful case Of IN
dying love for a girl, and, of course,
It's all about her. When l see her
coming now make bee line for the
next corner and turn the other way
Why, never even want to meet any
one with her first name. But my.
present feelings didn't influence what
wrote in that diary-not a bit!
when 1t happened I was ashamed
of going with any girl and I kept it
all secret telling the folks at home
that was going to be out with some
of the fellows when l went to see her.
And as the diary wasn't dated-for l
considered that unnecessary-there
no proof that the whole thing isn't of
present standing!
Bill called me aside today and
whispered audibly, so the whole fam
lily heard: Have you written in
your diary this morning?' When
looked my surprise-for, of course, the
truth didn't dawn on me for a sec
ond-he laughed and pulled out the lit
tie red leather book! That brought
it all back with lightning speed Then
he darted out of the door before
could get hold of him.
THE family began to make inquir-
les. Soon Bill put his head in at the
window and said he wanted to speak
to me minute. When I refused he
called out: oh, well, I'll just read
page from this little red book to
amuse the family So he began to
shout some silly trash about Mildred.
l rushed out hurriedly to buy him off.
"But he won't be bought off That
is, not once for all. He demanded 81
this morning, because his roller skates
need to be put into condition. I've
always thought 10 cents too much for
him, so you can imagine that the dol
lar came hard! But he wouldn't part
with the book, and although l begged
him all morning until left to give it
to me he simply thought up schemes
for levying blackmail
Il don't dare thrash him and take
away the book, because he's quoted
SO much of it from memory that
know he's got 1t all by heart, and he'd
repeat it with interest If given half
chance. If he did, of course, couldn't
disprove it, without showing the orig,
inal!
And to think it was about Mildred!
Why, she's putty-faced and has the
disposition of a poodle, and she hasn't
any more style than a bag of pota-
toes, and-oh, she's absolutely the
limit! Bill would go and read the
whole thing to her in a minute if he
took the notion. / don't know how
I'm going to exist! I'm totally in his
power, and 1t means ball games even
when l have previous engagements!
1t means taking him along in the eve
nings if be wants to go! 1t means a
thousand trials that will make death
a blessed thing to contemplate!
why on earth DO people make
such fools of themselves? What good
did 1t do me to keep that horrible
diary, anyway? l never read it over,
and it makes me hot to think of the
good summer hours I wasted writing
the stuff just to amuse Bill"
But why don't you let him do his
worst?" asked the little stenographer.
It'll only make Mildred know you did
care once-and she knows you don't
now. And you don't care If your fam
lily knows that you've got over your
foolishness!"
YES" bitterly responded the book
keeper, land Bill would hesitate only
about five minutes before he'd take it
over to Grace, and, then"
"Oh" The little stenographer shook
her head. Perhaps you'd better hur-
ry an! elope with Grace" she sug-
gested hs she began cleaning the keys
of her typewriter.-Chicago Daily
News.