Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1914-04-23
BUILDING A ROMANCE
BY A INEZ DEACON.

BY CLARA lNez DEACON.
Well, mother, it's time for me to be
on my way to the depot"
BE careful. Bessie, and don't take
the wrong train"
"oh, l shall ask at least so people
II it's the right one"
And be sure you are not carried
past Redfern."
7 shall be out on the platform and
waiting"
The name OF the station is Red
fern, isn't it,"
is SURF is. n s'ler, and don't you
get 1t mixed up with Red Hill or Red
Head"
And Kitty St. Clair will be there
TO meet you!"
Yes, unless she is laid up with a
broken leg"
You may be killed in a railroad
wreck before you get there"
IF l am III telephone you. I'm
or"
Just another word. Bessie. Mrs.
St. Clair is a sober, sedate woman. and
YOU and Kitty must not 60 to cutting
up or she'll be shocked"
Not a cut-up. mother. There,
now!"
And about the same hour Mrs. St.
Clair, at her country home, was say
ing to her daughter, Kitty:
This is the day when your friend.
Bessie, comes DOWN."
Yes, mother"
We'll, We must give her a good
visit, Didn't you say she was rather
sedate?"
She's almost as solemn as a grave
stone"
I'm glad Of that, for she will act as
a check on you. You have spirit
enough for any three girls. l do hope
that while she is here you won't act
quite so like a boy!"
Il shall go around with tears in my
eyes and my hands tied behind mel"
An hour later there was a meeting
at the country station that was wit
messed only by the old depot master
and a small boy.
"Oh, Kitty"
oh, Bessie!"
Hip, hurrah!"
"Whoop-la!"
I'm so glad"
I'm SO happy"
And after kissing each other exactly
is times they Joined hands and went
Waiting up and down the platform
and then drove away in the pony
cart.
The old man and the boy looked
after them in establishment, and the
boy exclaimed:
Gee, but did you aver see anything
like it,"
My son." answered the man with
a sad shake OF his head, that's what
you've got to come to-"
What? Turn into a gal?"
You've got to marry a gal like one
of them, and she'll make 1t so blamed
rapid for you that you'll be a lunatic
in less than a year"
When the girls had arrived and the
stranger had been welcomed to her
room, Mrs. st. Clair's face wore a
troubled look, and she said to her
self:
Il don't see anything as solemn as
a ~sravestone about that girl. On the
contrary, she looks like a girl that
would turn a somersault of a haystack
any day in the week. l hope they
won't get to carrying on too high"
And upstairs there was giggling
and tittering and jumping over chairs
and exclaiming:
"Oh, but won't we make Rome howl
when We get at it,"
1t was three or four days before
there was any bowling. Then n
day the girls got on their old skirts
and set OF to view the country, as
they termed it. AS they were ready
20 go Mrs. st. Clair felt it her moth
erly duty to say:
AT this season of the year there
are lots of snakes, you know"
we shall carry clubs to kill them
with"
You know there is a dangerous
bull in Blacks p%asture?"
Yes, but he won't hurt a couple of
demure maidens."
"Tramps were never as numerous
as now"
we are each armed with a table
knife. Good-by and don't worry"
Half a mile down the road was
Blacks bull pasture. The bull was at
home and had a chip on his shoulder.
The girls sat on the fence and gave
him a bad half hour. They shouted at
him and tainted him and defied him
until he broke his way III and ran
down the road and chased a farmer
to the roof OF his wagon shed.
That was enough of the bull When
he had careered away they went to a
grove and climbed trees. 1t was jolly
fun until both had falls and bumps.
When they had eaten lunch a circus
was suggested. 1t would be betraying
a confidence to say that they at
tempted cart-wheels. hand-springs,
and standing on their
heads. They probably didn't do a
thing Of the kind, but sat with their
feet braced against each others and
pulled at a stick to see which was
the stronger.