The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-09-22

escorted her Off-hand from church on
Sunday night. And this he must ac-
complish at the church door, out Of
sometimes savage rivalry challenging
disaster.
For by this simple, primitive, heroic
process the status of contestants for q
maids favor Is fixed. He whose arm
Is taken can face his little world on
Monday. He whose arm Is rejected
Is, on Monday, social exile For the
small world of the vicinage Is always
there and this Is the maiden's public
election of him she chooses to honor,
and her public rebuke to his too pre-
sumptuous rival. And, after that,
she is a poor thing indeed who viii be
seen in public with the latter For
nothing Is more sweet and cruel than
love.
Seffy was not a pubicly-acknowledg-
ed sutton. He could not be 1t was
impossiblel There was that tomb
stone still up In the store. Sam had
had not yet arrived where he might
put the awful question-there was
recognized period for this, and events
had put 1t further and further off
Indeed, he shuddered when he thought
Of it-even then, after that under
standing with Sally!-and contem-
plated getting his father to do 1t for
him
1t had become known; in the wireless
way such things spread In the country,
that there had been tentative making
up between Seffy and Sally. But
Seffy was still not received In public.
Nor did he appear with Sally Nor
might he call upon heri There must
be some open defiance and victory
which all could see and understand be
fore these things might happen The
- r \ FoT7~
not be extended to Seffy until he had
met and vanaJiished his rival IN public
1t was the primitive right Of the strong
est, proved physically here as IN the
Roman circus Seffy had never shown
himself a master of material proves
He demurred bit at such a plunge into
the arena But there was no other way
why, Self" advised his iather,
after that it's dead open ana shut
game. You better do the biggest sing
you ken-and that's the end of 1t. If
had Sally on my side, l wouldn't keer
who the hell was on the otheri You
take her home from church, Vas,
right afore their dam nosesl Then
they'll run after you and send you
presents. 1t amt no guess-work for
you'll You know that Sally VIII be
to take yOurn- GOSH I meier had
no such sure sing. / hsd to take my
chances wiss you mammyl And 1t
was three other fellers Hiss their arms
out-and the right side yeti But your
daddy was close up against the church
door And when she come out he
didn't waste no time a-saying polite,
Miss Hungler, ken / hat the pleasure
to see you home this EVENING" I'd
a lost the game If I had waited to git
off all that dictionary stuff Yasslrl
For right opposite me was Bill Eisen-
krout-Sam's uncle@and / lnoEed his
arm'd shoot out ike q patent corn
husker the minute you nanny come.
"He was mighty quick, but mighty
politel I knoWed he'd say that fool
ishness about being pleased TO see her
home. Well, she come out and / chust
grabbed And while I was marching
on Ike q cOnqueTing hero, informing
her that It was q nice efening, l could
hear Bill on the off side, Citing out that
stuff bout pleasure and seeing her
home Nancy says, says she: Sank
you, Mr.. Eisenkrout, Pm suited and
/ laughed Ike hell And, begoshens,
Nancy laughed tool And that settled
R7I1 - &C. moral Oh It's 1o==S-z