The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1915-09-30
AQuiick
Transition
By EUNICE BLAKE


chilly nights now. got some logs
HAHN on the hearth. and I'll bring up
some birch beer from the cellar"
Josh Warehouse, a bachelor Of forty.
accepted the invitation and was soon
sitting on one end of sofa drawn De
fore the fire, while Amanda Waters,
aged twenty. sat at the other. Beside
Josh stood q table on which were dish
of nutsan bottle Of birch beer AIT
er a swig Of the beer he began crack
ing the nuts and invited Amanda to
tell him what he could do for her.
Law sakes, Mr.. MOrehouse. don't
believe / can"
"Waal, now, that's surprisin
"There's somep'n | want you to do
for me, but It's awful hard to say II.
Fact is, want to borry you Tor
awhile"
"Borry meT
Mr. Morehouse paused while crack
ing q nut and looked at Miss Waters
inQuiringly.
"You know Enoch Rogers. Well.
Enoch has been talkin' soft to me late
", and | don't want him to do 1t. He's
a nice Teller, but he's nothin' but
boy. don't cotton to these Kids, but
Enoch is givin' me an awful lot OF
worriment | don't want TO hurt MS
feelin's, and | can't stand 1t to nave
him follerin' me about, maxim people
balIava I belong TO him.
"Why don't you tell him, squar, to
keep OFF,
II have. 1t don't appear to do any
good"
You don't want me to give him a
lickin', do you?"
"Oh. no, Mr.. Morehouse. 1 wouldn't
have you do that"
what do you want Inc to DOR
"Waal, I've reckoned that IL you
wouldn't mind make b'lieve for awhile
/ belong to you mebbe he'd give me up
and be ruckensiled to get on with
out me-"
"Oh, | see! That's a mighty good
way O. lettin' him down"
His mother and my mother are
mighty good friends, and Enoch Is
nice boy. So l mustn't do anything
to make bad blood. Jest as soon as
Enoch sees that some I'm has got
ahead of him he'll draw of and find
another gal"
"You don't mean that he'd think
you'd look at an old Teller Ike me. do
your
La sakes, Mr.. Morehouse, how you
talkl You're just the age for WON
an between eighteen and twenty-five.
Girls want a husband to look up to.
They don't want boy that they kin
wipe the floor with"
You don't mean It! WAL, now, /
wouldn't "a thought any gal except an
old maid would want me-"
Mr.. Morehouse looked very much
pleased. The fire cracked merrily,
dancing on the fender and gliding arti-
cles In the room. The birch beer had
a delicious flavor, and the nuts, hav
ing been newly gathered, were the
same.
when shall we begin, Mr. More
houseT' asked Amanda, moving from
her end of the sofa toward her make
believe lover.
Begin? Begin whatT'
"Why, pertendin' we're engaged"
isn't there big difference between
pertendin' and the real thingF"
'Mebbe there is, but If we don't act
engaged before people they won't be-
ieve we're engaged. Enochll think
I'm just sayin' I'm engaged to shet
him of"
THAT wouldn't do, would it7 But
how are We goin' to act engagedT
Laws a-massy, Mr.. Morehouse, you
don't reckon we're goin' to know how
to act engaged without any practicin'T
| "Mebbe not"
| Mr.. Morehouse took another pull at
the birch beer, and when he had set
down his mug he found that Amanda
had moved to the middle Of the sofa
and there was barely room for a sheet
Of paper between them. The fire was
cracking and giving out its genial
warmth. Mr.. Morehouse felt very hap
py. He looked sidewise at Amanda,
while she looked down at her lap,
smoothing her dress. He wondered II
a borrowed lover practicing to play his
part was entitled to take a kiss. He
dropped an arm, which was resting on
the back of the sofa, to her waist. She
did not move. He felt encouraged.
He drew her toward him till she was
leaning up against him. Her head top
pied to the side; he turned her face,
and his lips were drawn magnetically
to hers.
by jinx," he exclaimed, 81 wonder
II bein' real lover Is better'n a Dor.
ryed onep'
Nobody kin tell that without try.
In" said Amanda.
Another kiss helped him on, and still
another helped him on further, till al
last, as he afterward said, ''the words
just came right out by themselves
without my havin' anything to do with
It"
| When Josh Morehouse went home
that evening he was astonished at re-
membering that he had stood within
an hour In three different positions
friend, pretended lover and betrothed
1T beats ANYTHING" he said m him.