River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1913-08-28

szsT@N kles in his voice. now you
G$SEO look just as pretty as you
do when you go to bed-all Witty all
over. You can kiss my kiss spot
hundred times while l bear hug you
for that nice not black dress" And
before any stern person could have
stopped us was on my knees on the
grass kissing my fill from the kiss
spot on the back of his neck, while he
Rugged all the starch out of the sum-
mer before last.
And Dr. John sat down on the bench
quick and laughed out loud one Of the
very few times | ever heard him DO 1t.
He was looking down at us. but did
not laugh up into his eyes. l was
afraid. | felt it was safer to go on
kissing the kiss spot for the present.
anyway.
BILL" be said, with his voice dane
ing, that's the most effective apology
| ever heard. You were sorry to some
point"
Then suddenly Billy stiffened right
in my arms and looked me straight In
the face and said in the doctors own
brisk tones, even with his cupid mouth
set in the same straight line:
81 say I'm sorry. Molly, but d--n
that man, and I'll git him YETI
What could we say? What could
we do? We didn't try. / busted my
self in tying the string on Billy's blouse
that had come united in the bear hug.
and the doctor suddenly discovered the
letter on the bench. | saw him see 1t
without looking in his direction at all.
And how many pounds are we near
er the string bean state of existence
Mrs. Molly?" he asked me before had
finished tying the blouse, in the incest
voice in the world, fairly cracking
with friendship and good humor and
hateful things like that. Why should
have wanted him to huff over that let
ter is more than / can say. But did,
and he didn't
lover twenty, and most of the time
/ am so hungry l could eat Aunt AIDE
line. | dream about Billy, fried with
cream gravy" I answered as l kissed
again the back of the head that was
beginning to nod down against my
breast. Long shadows lay across the
garden, and the white headed old snow
ball was signaling out of the dusk to
a Dorothy Perkins down the walk in a
scandalous way. At best spring is just
the worlds matchmaking old chaperon
and ought to be watched. | still sat
on the grass, and ] began to cuddle
| Billy's bare knees in the skirt of my
dress so the chigres couldn't get at
| them.
"But, Mrs. Molly, isn't it worth 1t
| ALP" asked the doctor as he bent over
! toward us and looked down with some
! thing wonderful and kind in his eyes
| that seemed to rest on us like bene-
diction. You have been just as plucky
| as a girl can be, and in only a little over
two months you have grown as light
footed and hearty as a boy. / think
nothing could be lovelier than you are
right now, but you can get off those
other few pounds if you want to. You
know, don't you, that l have known
how hard some of it was, and haven't
been able to eat as much as / usually
do thinking how hungry you are? But
isn't it all worth it? think it is. AL
fred Bennett is a very great man, and
it is right that he should have a very
lovely wife to go out into the world
with him. And as lovely as you are
think it is wonderful of you to make
all this sacrifice to be still lovelier for
him. l am glad l can help you, and
it has taught me something to see how
how faithful a woman can be across
years-and then in this smaller thing!
Now give me Billy and you get your
apple and toast. Don't forget to take
your letter in out of the dew" l sat
perfectly still and held Billy tighter in
my arms as / looked up at his father,
and then after l had thought as long
as | could stand it l spoke right out
at him as mad as hops, and | don't
to this minute know why.
Nobody in the world ever doubted
that a woman could be faithful if she
had anything to be faithful to- 1 said
az let him take Billy out of my arms
at last. "Faithfulness is what a wo-
nan flowers. only it takes a man to
lick his posy." With which l march
cd into the house and left him stand
iag with Billy in his arms, | hope
Gumfounded. l didn't look back to see.
l always leave that mans presence so
lad / can never look back at him.
! nd wouldn't it make any woman rage
[, have man pick out another man
for her to be faithful to when she
hadn't made any decision about 1t her
own self?
wonder just how old Judge Wade
is? / believe will make up with Aunt
Adeline enough before | go to bed to
find out why he has never married.
Men are very strange people They
are like those horrible sums In algebra
that you think about and worry about
and cry about and try to get help from
other women about, and then. all OF a
sudden X works itself out into perfect
II good sense. Not that | thought
much about Mr.. Carter. poor man.
When he wasn't right around | felt it
best to forget him as much as could,