The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-04-06
A man would have been surprised A.

A man would have been surprised ut
seeing flower drop near him and
would have looked to see where IL
came from. Not so this young lady.
She was conscious of the fact that a
young man lived next door She re-
membered to have dropped flour on his
shoulders and was on the lookout for
response. in fact, she had seen Billy
at his window amid a rainbow of
,ravatG. Given girl IN back yard,
young man at window, and 1t Is
TO lie supposed that the girl will ex-
2ect something.
Billy tossed sprigs and flowers,
which fell to the girls right, to her
left, before her, behind her. but she
paid no attention to them. TLen he
went to the bathroom, filled tumbler
with water and, returning to his win
dow. sent the contents In a spray on
the flower planter. There was just
enough OF sprinkling to cause her to
fear douche. She arose from her
work and marched into the house. On
her way she cast glance up at Billy
and made d face at him. Billy In
return threw her a kiss from the tips
Of his fingers.
This time Billy saw enough of the
girl to be sure that she was pretty
What else she was he did not know
and did not care to know. He had at
tracted her attention, though he had
AiIinoA 70 Ii no, tn In
she had brought the sprinkling on
herself by giving him stage snow
storm, and as for the face she had
made at him he did not mind that
bit
The next day when Billy was going
up the steps, getting out his latchkey,
who should come out Of the front door
of the next house but the girl. She
passed him with her nose in the air,
but she had scarcely reached the side
walk when Billy heard a giggle. He
turned and tried to get up his courage
to follow and join her, but he had not
been introduced to her, and should she
scorn him he would never recover from
the blow. She had Toured him and he
had Powered her, but this did not con-
stitute an introduction. He would no
more dare speak to her without the
formal introduction required in social
life than he would return to his knick-
erbOckers.
Such was the condition between these
two next door neighbors when Billy
was invited to his first formal dance.
He began to array himself at g o'clock
begin at half past 8. Much time was
required. He put three sets of studs
In his shirt before lie was satisfied
with set Of tiny mosaics. He had
inserted gold links In his cuffs, and
this necessitated a further change, for
had he worn mosaic studs with gold
sleeve buttons he would expect to be
ordered out Of the house by the host.
The tying Of his neckwear was anOth-
err delay requiring some twenty-five
minutes. He succeeded in placing 1t
above the collar button. but was In
terror lest 1t slip down.
He was Informed by his mother, who
stood by him nobly in this critical
period Of his life. that he would surely
be late. and at last he put the finishing
touches to his makeup and. going
downstairs and out, entered limou.
sine that had been summoned to trans
port him to the scene Of hoped for con-
quests. As he was driving away
car stopped next door. He wondered
IL the girl who lived there was going
anywhere.
Billy on reaching his destination
spent half an hour in the dressing
room. Whether 1t was for further
arrangement of his apparel or stage
fright at appearing at his first function
there is no record. Nevertheless he
held on to the banister on his way
down. He made his bow to the
hostess and was at once taken Off by
a member of the family to be present
ed to some of the young ladies he did
not know.
Those invited were all supposed to
be between fifteen and seventeen.
though some of the girls had barely
turned fourteen. Billy was introduced
to several girls in succession and was
landed for a similar purpose before
another when he stood stock still. She
was the girl next door.
Miss Betty Hinsdale, this is Mr..
Athertonr'
Why all the retiring qualities are at
trlbuted to the softer sex it is difficult
to explain. Billy, as he expressed II
afterward. was taken Eat aback.
Miss Hinsdale was as cool as cucum
Der. Billy stammered something like
pleasure Of dance" whereupon she
threw back her head with all the air
of a society belle, at the same time
thrusting out Il dance card with not
vacancy on it. But Billy soon caught
up with her. He ERASED several names
and boldly wrote his own name in
their place.
Minute accounts of love affairs may
be pleasingly realistic, but they re.
quire much space. But 1t doesn't re-
quire much time for a boy of sixteen
to fall in love. Billy did the falling
like house painter from a scaffold-
very suddenly. But he was dead
man, so far as his heart was concern