The Prescott daily news., 1913-01-03
ONCE KEPT A DAIRY
By KENNETH JONES.

Why are you so worn and weary Iooking?" inquired the little stenogra- pher as she turned toward the book! keeper and scrutinized him carefully before opening her desk for the day.
 Did you ever keep a diary?" asked the bookkeeper by way of reply. |
 "Oh, you poor man!" exclaimed the little stenographer, understandingly. HSome one found 1t, of course"
 He nodded and sighed.
 "Of course, might try to comfort you by saying we all learn by experi- ence and there's nothing that time doesn't heal and such things, but I won't. It's all just so much rubbish to the person you try to comfort. So I'll just admit that it's perfectly aw- full scrape. I can see that some one has found it who oughtnt to know"
 My kid brother" explained the bookkeeper, laconically.
 What! As bad as that?" exclaim- ed the little stenographer, mortified.
 Its one l 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. T 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. I 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, T kept that diary when had an awful case of un- dying love for girl, and, of course, It's all about her. When l see her coming now make a 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 l wrote in that diary-not a bit!
 "When 1t happened I was ashamed of going with any girl and I kept 1t all secret, telling the folks at home that I was going to be out with some of the fellows when I went to see her. And as the diary wasn't dated-for I considered that ecessary-there's no proof that the whole thing isn't of present standing!
 Bill called me aside today and whispered audibly, so the whole fam fly heard: Have you written in your diary this morning? When l looked my surprise-for, of course, the truth didn't dawn on me for sec ond-he laughed and pulled out the lit tie red leather book! That brought 1t all back with lightning speed. Then he darted out of the door before I could get hold of him.
 "The family began to make inquir. ies. Soon Bill put his head in at the window and said he wanted to speak to me a minute. When 1 refused he called out: Oh, well, I'll just read a page from this little red book to amuse the family So he began to shout some silly trash about Mildred. rushed out hurriedly to buy him off.
 But he won't be bought off. That Is, not once for all. He demanded $1 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 I begged him all morning until I left to give it to me he simply thought up schemes for levying blackmail.
 T don't dare thrash him and take away the book, because he's quoted so much of 1t from memory that I know he's got 1t all by heart, and he'd repeat 1t with interest if given half a chance. If he did, of course, couldn't dlsprove it, without showing the orig final!
 And to think 1t was about Mildred! Why, she's putty-faced and has the disposition of a poodle, and she hasn any more style than bag of pota- toes, and-oh. she's absolutely th limit Bill wcr