The Oskaloosa herald., 1917-01-18
HIS OPINION
BY NAPOLEON s. zARIcK.

DAINTY patent feathers, ana hef mead,
with its jaunty hat, was held higher
still, the color flaming high, too, in her
round cheeks and showing off charm
ingly against the background of her
chlnchilla collar.
II shall resign from the club-that's
all-and, what's more, I'll resign from
every club l belong to! A woman's
club-huh! A cats club would be Il
better namei Nothing on earth would
induce me to stay another day in the
hateful thing, and I'll resign as soon
as l can reach pen and ink to do it
with. Everyone of them is in league
to see the whole thing fail because I've
put my very heart and soul in it to
make it go. Well, they'll be in pretty
mess when l give it all up! There's
not another one who'd have worked
as hard as / have, and the club will
all go to pieces if this entertainment
doesn't go through. don't care
I'd be too glad for anything"
She had overtaken boy of seven
or eight-a dirty little boy, with mud
dy shoes and wOrsted cap. Miss ar
mans anger could not efface her inter-
est in youngsters, and especially in Il
boy who scuffed his feet so attractive
ly and who could balance a curved
stick so cleverly when he was not rat
Ting it against the fences he passed.
He was walking in a leisurely way
that indicated ease of mind and plenty
of time to get home before dinner As
she neared him, the stick wavered and
fell back, but was quickly caught.
Il thought it was going to hit me-"
she said, and smiled. Then an ir-
resistible desire to talk to this sturdy
little fellow took possession of her.
He glanced at her and smiled shy
| ly. Although her elegance dismayed
him, he recognized promise of COM
| radeship
II know what that stick makes me
think Of" she said half to herself as
she passed him. This was u subtle
move, and worked admirably.
"What?" he asked, running little,
so as to catch up.
'Why, it makes me think of bow,
an Indians bow, you know, that he
strings up and shoots arrows with"
at makes me think of one, too !"
| exclaimed the boy.
only" she went on, giving a swift
glance at the stick and its owner, ut
is sawed in a curve; it isn't real rod
| bent to that shape. l don't believe
could string it up and use 1t for kill
ing people" a.. ..
II could,' he asserted. SIN strong.
Me an the boys go in the woods some.
times an chop down trees. Once ]
went to the country"
II don't believe you ever went to
| the zoo here"
eyes, have" he declared after a
pause.
"Oh," she answered.
Eyes, me an the boys went one day.
Say, did you ever go out with a lot
of boys an have 'em treat you mean
all day."
"NO'-Miss Carman did not smile
"but I've been with grown-up folks
who did"
"Wen, me an the boys had fights
all day. They wanted to pitch me
into the mud all the time. An said
if they didn't stop I'd go home an
break up the whole gang"
Here he gave her look to see If she
had been paralyzed at his firmness.
Her mouth was tightly set.
"Well that's just what I said"
swell, bet you didn't do it, though"
"Pm just going home now to do it,"
she answered. His incredulity deep
ened.
''They amt speck O. mud on you,"
he announced after a critical survey.
"Well, what did you do?" said she,
returning to his story.
"Well, they threw me into the creek
once, but / wasn't afraid. came out
an dared 'em all to fight, an none of
them would. Then l thought I'd miss
Il lot of fun if I went home an left
them. so stayed an helped to push
another hoy in. I'm head O. the gang
now, an l wouldn't been anything il
I'd gone home that day."
''Thank YOU" said Miss Carman en-
phatically.
The boy looked up, surprised.
$50 you thought you would have
been lonesome if you had given it all
up? You were pretty plucky to stick
ii out" she said.
Maybe" he assented.
Miss Carman was musing, and didn't
miss him. Pluck, that was what she
, needed-good American pluck and
grit. She was acting in manner
frightfully indicative of the degener-
alton of that quality which had made
her ancestors take their stand for lib
erty and which, more recently, had
brought her father his millions. Should
she let those women know they had
pushed her into the creek?' No, no,
hundred times no-she would ''dare
them all around" first and be head
of the gang" for her efforts!
She called to the boy as she turned
into her gate. He jumped down and
ran to her, brandishing his curved
! stick.