The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-07-03
martha, we'll be going away from

w III you De SOIIJ uSIo uct'
She says she will be sorry.
We'll" says, why will you be
sorry?'
thought she would say because
was going And then | would be find
ing out whether she liked me lot.
sorry is because there will be no one
new to talk to about things both has
read was considera bic took down
when she said that.
"Martha." | says, Its more'n likely
won't never see you agin after l go
away"
She says that kind Of parting comes
between the best Of friends.
| seen | wasn't getting along very
fast nor saying what wanted to say.
reckon one of them Sir Marmeluke
feIers would of knowed what to say
or DR.. Kirby would, or mebby even
Looey would of said it better than
could SO was kind of mad with
myself. and | says mean like:
If you don't care. Of course don't
care neither"
She never answered that, so | gets
| up and makes like am starting off.
Il was going to give you some Of
them there Injun feathers of mine to
remember me by | tells her, but if
you don't want em there's plenty Of
others would be glad to take EN-
But she says she would like to have
| them.
Well" says, Il will bring them to
you tomorrow afternoon
She says. Thank you
Finally l couldn't stand it no longer.
got brave all of sudden and busted
out Martha, I-I-l'-
But | got to suffering, and my
braveness suffered itself away, and |
| finished up by saying:
Il like you a hull lot, Martha
Which wasn't jest exactly what had
planned fur to say.
Martha, she says she kind of likes
me too
"Martha,' says, II like you more'n
any girl ever run acrost before"
She says, Thank you" agin. The
way she said it riled me up. She said
it like she didn't know what l meant,
nor what was trying to get out of me.
But she did know all the time. |
knowed she did. She knowed | know
ed it too Gosh dern it, says to my.
self, here am wasting all this time
jest talking to her, The right thing to
do come to me all Of sudden and like
to took my breath away. But | done
it. grab bed her and kissed her
Twice. And then agin Because the
first was on the chin on account of her
jerking her head back. And the sec
ond one she didn't help me none. But
the third time she helped me little.
And the ones after that she helped me
considerable
Well, they amt no use trying to talk
about the rest of that afternoon:
couldn't rightly describe it if wanted
to- And reckon it's none Of any
body's business.
Well it makes you fee! kind Of fun
ny. You want to 60 out and pick on
somebody about four sizes bigger'n
Il
It stands to reason others has felt that
away. but you don't believe it. You
want to tell people about it one min
Ute The next minute you have got
chills and ague fur fear some one will
guess it. And you think the way YOU
are about her is going to last fur al
ways.
That evening, when l was cooking
supper. l laughed every time | was
spoke to- When Looey and | was
hitching up to drive downtown to give
the show, one of the bosses stepped
on his foot and | laughed at that. and
there was purity nigh fight After
the show. when we got back to camp
and the bosses was picketed out fur
the night. | had to tell Looey all about
how I felt fur an explanation of why
| laughed at him.
his sperrits. and he shakes his head
and says no good will come Of it.
But it ends happy sometimes"
says.
Not when it is true love it don't"
says Looey Look at Anthony and
Cleopatra"
YES" | says. land so is Adam and
Eve and Dan and Burrsheba and ell
the rest Of them old timers But bet
they had a good time while they
lasted"
Looey shakes his head solemn and
signs and goes to sleep very mourn
full. like he has to give me up fur lost.
But can't sleep none myself So pur-
ty soon I gets up and puts on my shoes
and sneaks through the woodlot and
through the gap in the fence by the ap-
pie tree and into Miss Hampton's yard.
It was beauty Of moonlight night,
that white and clear and clean you
could almost see to read by it. like all
Of everything had been secured as
bright as the bottom of a tin pan. And
that very day. and mebby the same
one Miss Hampton seen on that very
same porch. | thought was in fur II
thon mehhv and I felt like some one