The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1916-09-03

study1n' too hard and the doctor said
he had 10 stay outdoors all the time
and I brought him home to git some
coffee"
"Maw" came forward to meet me
and smiled pleasantly. tYou do look
Like you needed something to hearten
you up" and she looked at me Gu
riously.
81 told him you'd want to see a
kid who'd made hisself sick a-study-
in"
att is rare, indeed, to find boy
who has studied himself sick, bat
come in to breakfast"
A large family surrounded the
board, among them being Grammar"
and as she gazed at me with keen
eyes / grew uneasy, for she seemed
to be penetrating my disguise.
whats your name?"
Mart Holcomb."
"Any kin to the Holcombs of Nor
man? used to live there and l
knew several families of Holcombs."
Before I had time to reply (for
which I was thankful, for the Nor
man Holcombs were my cousins)
Grammar" exclaimed, "You look
more like girl than boy. No boy
ever kept his hands that white nor
his finger nails that clean"
'Motherl" reprovingly spake the
head of the house.
felt that some explanation was
due, so ] told them of my nervous
condition, and the doctors orders, and
added, GAS did not have money with
which to pay the railroads I decided
to try walking. l have my lunch,
but your boys invitation to coffee
was so welcome and given in so cor
dial a manner that / could not re-
! sist."
.Huh, you talk just like school
ma'am," said the irrepressible boy.
Then and there I decided to talk
less like a school ma'am and more
like a school boy, come to think of
it, their language always fully ex-
presses their meaning, and one does
not have to consult dictionary to
/ find definitions.
"And how far are you going to
walk?" asked Grammar"
'1 intend to go to Florida"
"Say, kid, let me know when you
git Their"
Gall right, I'll send you a card"
Grammar" asked "a whole heap of
questions" and ended by, You're not
goin' to tramp on Sunday, are you ?"
I saw that the old lady did not ap-
prove of me, the emphasis on the
word tramp being rather scornful.
Before l could reply my boy friend
said, "Say, kid, stay and go to Sun
day school with me. I'll show you
to all the boys"
In my minds eye I could see the
crowd of his pals and I the center
of attraction, like the monkey in the
zoo.
The mother seconded the invita-.
ton. "The rest would do you good.
"My clothes" began.
"Huh, what diff about your clothes
They're good enough" my boy friend
put in.
I concluded to stay until Monday
and see something of the town.
found it a little town of many
churches, each one out for itself, anc
I wondered then as have often won.
dered since, when people would SEE
the oneness of all good and see that
the Fatherhood of God and the broth.
erhood of man was the only gospe
that would bring peace and prosperity
on earth, for that is what the Chris
taught.
AS it was Saturday, the town was
full of country people, and reminded
one of the western town of the movies
No amusements of any kind excep
the moving picture show. Two pa
pers, one democrat, the other repub
lican, and they were stabbing eacl
other as is the custom in all small
towns. The town prided itself on it
schools, and I suppose they wer'
good, in theory at least Just ont
of hundreds of such towns, nothing
short of an earthquake would walker
| them.
When night came / asked my hos
tess to allow me the privilege o
sleeping out on the gallery. 'Ther
is comfortable couch there, and
want to sleep outdoors as much a
possible"
/ think she was glad to grant m,
request, for the idea of a tramp room
ing with her children was repugnan
to her.
We went to Sunday school, an
my introduction to the class was i
this wise, "Say, fellers, here's a gu
that's studied so hard he made his
self sick, and the doctor said he ha
to stay outdoors and walk, so he
took to trampin', and he says he
goin' to tramp to Florida"
The "fellers" crowded around m
and for once I was the center of at
traction, the monkey in the zoo.
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