The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1914-10-29
GETTING ACQUAINTED
BY ALLEN BROCK.

his feet securely around the porch
rails and started an after-dinner cigar.
Isn't 1t funny" he remarked, re-
fiectively, after a medtative puff or
two, what difference a summer cot
tage makes?"
The little group on the veranda
looked at him lazily, awaiting further
exposition of his theme
"You know" continued Bob, I've
always been little afraid of the Far
ringtons, especially of Nell"
That's because you're badly
nicked," said Sam, with brotherly can.
dor. "A fellows always afraid of
girl when he's really nicked."
No such thing" said Bob. i've
never been one OF the diffident, self
effacing kind that thinks he's worm
in the dust whenever he compares
himself with girl he happens to
like"
No, Ill say that for him." admitted
Sam Excessive modesty has never
been one of his Affections
When you get through roasting"
and tell you some more about my
visit
Yes, let's hear about the Earring
tcns," said Jessie.
We'll, what meant by being afraid
Of them was that never felt quite as
though could go to their house with
out making a kind Of set piece of it
gloves and stick and visiting cards
and Is Miss harrington inT with my
politest accent 1t wasn't that they
were stif or ceremonious or anything
OF that sort. IL they had been the
kind OF people that sentence you to
one chair when you come to call
should never have gone near their
house. They were always cordial and
informal enough, but somehow even
their informality always had such a
polite little finish to 1t that | used
to feel as though l never could be
quite so nice as they were, no matter
how hard | tried. Mrs. Harrington
would come in and put me at my ease
formula and Nell and l exchanged
amenities according to the precepts
she had learned at Miss Winters
finishing school. Mr.. Harrington was
friendly in dignified way that seemed
to call upon me to address him as
sir He would offer me cigars that
l never felt quite free to smoke until
Bert took me down to the billiard
room, though Nell and her mother al
ways insisted that they liked cigar
smoke. Somehow l used to feel that
they would all be corking people to
know when ! really got to know them
well enough not to be so polite, but
Bert was the only one with whom |
was on real comfortable scrapping
terms.
When they invited me to go up to
their cottage last week of course they
told me the usual story about their
informal. primitive way of living
back to nature and all that sort of
thing-but I've been bluffed like that
before and wasn't prepared for the
pleasant reality"
Was 1t a reality?" asked Jessie.
Il went up with Bert Saturday
night" narrated Bob. when we got
to the place Sunday morning the first
person l saw was Mr.. Harrington. He
was on the dock in a bathing suit in
| dustriously trying to untangle a fish
line. Hello, boys he said. Hello,
| Heaton! Give me a hand with this
blankety, blank line, will you? Say,
have either of you fellows got any
makings? The only thing l don't like
about life In Lonsomehurst Is that
| it's so confounded hard to get smoke
when you want one
Then he took me into the boat
house and showed me confdentially
eight black bass that he had bought
from boy that morning and that he
was going to catch after breakfast.
| By that time Nell came to the door of
the cottage.
Hello, kids!' she called out. I'm
so glad you're hare! Breakfast is
ready, and I'm starved
Collars and stiff clothes were rig
( idly barred, and it didn't take me long
| to get into a sweater, where | stayed.
After breakfast Mrs. Harrington
asked me in matter-of-fact way to
| turn the ice cream freezer, and as
Nell helped / didn't mind. Once,
when we were tasting the cream, we
bumped our heads together and after
| that we felt lot better acquainted.
Then we went in swimming and
dried in the sun on the dock, and Nell
and stumped each other to hop over
the cracks on one foot After that
she showed me how she could ride on
the flying Dutchman, a contrivance
that some children had rugged in the
back yard. It is long board that
spins around on a pivot, and you have
to straddle 1t. jockey fashion. to stick
on. When l asked Nell whether she
had learned that accomplishment at
Miss Winters, the suggestion over
came her and she rolled on"
II suppose when she gets back to