The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1914-08-27

and already attired for holiday saun-
tering. A ladies' seminary graduate
might have been stirred to criticism
I of the cheap white dress and coarse
straw hat with its single blue ribbon;
he was not. We may doubt that he
I saw them at all, for her eyes were
dancing and her lips smiling mischiev-
ously at Piotr, who sat in one corner.
nursing his club foot and glazing
Hereby at her. She could be gay
then.
But the smile disappeared upon his
entrance. Nevertheless. "Kazia," he
announced boldly, we're going walk
ing in the park"
Are WEI"
Well, aren't we-' He modified his
sultanesque air a little. I'D like you
to come"
No"
She's going with Jim Whiting"
Piotr explained grumpily. He's her
fellow"
OH" Mark blinked stupidity. Evil
IDENTIFY other youths had discovered
her. It was strangely disturbing.
He recovered himself. grinning wry-
ly. Serves me right. took too
much for granted, didn't 1? I'm sorry."
I'll go with YOU" Piotr volunteered
promptly.
"Oh, all right. Come along. Piotr."
Pete" corrected Piotr. in a min
ute"
O. tho,,oh M. M ha had niapnad
Mark sailed forth into the golden aft
ernoon. Piotr, anxious to impress this
wonderful boarder whose learning
made light of the difficulties Of Messrs.
A. b and G and defied the intricacies
| Of the subjunctive, talked, at first
shyly, then more freely, mostly Of him
self, this being one of the two sub
! jects in which he was deeply inter
ested. Mark let him ramble on and
listened to his own thoughts, which
chiefly concerned Kazia He ruefully
wished that he had not been so ready
| to assume her assent.
Piotr's ambition, the monologue de-
veloped, scared high; it included no
| table achievements as a labor leader,
although his notions of the historic
conflict were a little vague.
AS they passed the mouth of lit
! tie dell they were halted by this tab
! leau: Kazia leaning against a tree
and Jim Whiting at her feet tying the
| shoe-lace that had come loose. He was
Internationally long about 1t, Mark
thought. He must have said some
thing, for she laughed, clear ringing
note. The kneeling gallant arose.
Mark saw a man two or three years
his senior not Unlocking despite his
too heavy lips and loose jaw and
sporty" clothes. Mark disliked him
| at once. Whiting took Kazia's arm
and led her slowly along the dell.
"Psiakrew!" muttered Piotr, in the
Poles deadly insult.
The homely face was pale, con.
vulsed with hate and real suffering.
Even Mark, self-absorbed. could see
that He patted the boy on the shout
/ der
Never mind, Pete She can't think
much Of him.
He's not fit for her." Piotr cried.
Right" Mark agreed firmly.
Piotr went further. ''Nobody's fit
for her"
"Kazia's mighty nice girl" Mark
! declared, less sweepingly.
Yes, she's nice. And she's smart,
too, smartern me. She's smart as you.
Piotr looked up fiercely, as If expect
! ing contradiction.
Sure, she is! But I'm afraid,
very casually, this, "she doesn't like
me very we'll"
Piotr jumped at the bait. she
thinks you're stuck-up and selfish" he
explained. And she's always afraid
everybody, 'cept Jim Whiting, II look
down on her because her mother
| Piotr flushed-"wasn' married"
SO that was the reason for her out
burst of the night before. Poor Kazia!
Mark had not needed to go out of vir-
tuous Bethel to learn the lot of Hagar's
! children.
do you look down on herr" Piotr
demanded aggressively.
"Of course not And you needn't
be ashamed of her, either--it isn't her
fault, is it? | don't like" Mark said
slowly, ito see her with that Whiting.
| wish-I wish she liked me a little
better"
He did not see the startled ques-
tioning look Piotr gave him.
"Kazia," asserted the boy, never
changes. I'm going home"
They strolled homeward. each mood
lily silent.
Despite the comfortable quarters
and nourishing food, now his strength
Jagged painfully; his scorched face be-
came haggard. And each morning he
dragged himself YEARLY homeward,
blind to the days beauty.
But he did not forget Kazia.
Always a leech-like Piotr awaited
his return, with problems to be solved
and paragraphs to be construed. Nor
did he wait in vain. Every morning
Mark patiently sacrificed an hour of
the needed sleep on the altar OF the
boys rare stupidity. He did not look
TO Piotr's gratitude for his reward.
tpto tk1 x~1,,Ak "A