Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-09-26
WHAT MAKES "A CONvERSATIONALIST? T?-TI
PATSY KILDARE
THE OUTLAW
By JUDD MORTIMER LEWIS
The Wood NUniDh

| ENRoST has made the leaves on our tree
the most beautiful color, They are all
golden now. ] pulled down a branch and
| took enough OF the leaves to make me q
crown this morning after brushed my
hair II certainly did look fine on me. so
was very proud as I went on my way tag
ging Rowdy TO school.
When I got to Bell Smiths house hol-
Tered till she stuck her head out of the
window and said she would be down In a
minute, but 1 told her she need not mind as
was not going swimming, When she said,
why not?' ] said, Because you did not
go yesterday that's why not. You need not
think you can disappoint me and not have
me get back at you" She said "I am sorry
if you are angry at me. but am not angry
at you. l want to tell you that you look
like a wood nymph this morning" I said
"Oh, is that so? II looked half as much
like wood nymph as you do / would go
and drown myself" She said, you do not
understand me. wood nymph is very
beautiful little girl that lives in tho woods"
Then Bell said, Just stand where you
are. want to get your pitcher" So she
got little black box and held II in front
Of her and snapped something and said,
"All right" | said, "Yes, all right" She
said, THAT is all" I said. where is the
pitcherY' She said, THAT will not be done
till day after tomorrow" I said, you are
crazy in the head If you think / can stand
here until then" She laughed and Lunny
Smith came around the house and said
what are you giving my friend Patsy
now?" She said, 81 have been taking her
pitcher" He made face and said, Poor
Patsy, What has Patsy ever done to
you?' Then he said to me. "She took my
pitcher once. Patsy, and l have never felt
the same since that time" But Bell just
laughed and went away.
When Rowdy and got to school the old
maid teacher met me in the hall and would
have kissed me only ! pushed her face
away She called me darling child which
she was right about. and said she though
my father was a perfectly splendid man. I
told her that he was and then / went in
and took my seat and Rowdy lay down on
the floor as he always does. All at once
/ began wondering what Peenuts Feeney
had up his sleeve, becauS0 he looked so In.
nocent and good that person would have
felt like kissing him if It had not been for
his face Then I found out that il was a
live mouse in my desk. When l opened
the lid the mouse jumped out ana Rowdy
caught it right in front Of the teachers
desk. Then the teacher came down off her
desk and told the children to stop laughing
She has got cat fur around the tops of her
shoes.
Rowdy and l went out to the bathhouse at
jim 3 alter SCHOOL AT Jim house / got n
broom and some blankets and the man who
was there looked at me kind of funny
asked him if anything was hurting him and
he said he guessed not, for Jim had said TO
let me do anything ] felt like doing but he
did not know whether that meant that
might carry all the bed clothes away I
told him it did and a box of matches, too
l put the blankets in the bunk at the bath
house and carried dry wood till it got dark
Then made nice little fire in front of the
door and went back to Jim's and ate some
bread and milk. When j went back to the
bathhouse there was man with whskers
and raggedy clothes lying in the bunk, but
he came out of it with his hat off when
Rowdy and I got after him
] put some more wood on the fire and
kneeled down and prayed, Dear mother,
l amt been home since morning I am n
wood nyl ph tonight. There are only two
more days of school and then Rowdy and
] are going somewhere and I'll bet you and
God don't know where. Neither do l. Ask
God TO bless you and my father and bring
Jim and Maggie home all right. Never
mind about my twenty dollars II Jim has
spent 1t on his wedding trip. Amen"
"ROadside Romance" another Patsy KiIdar.
adyentuTe. appears in tomOrrOw's Eyenine
Ledger. e"s