The patriot. [volume] (Indiana, Pa.) 1914-1955, 1917-01-27
A Collapsible
Method
By SADIE OLCOTT

Summer is the time for outdoor
! sports, winter the time for lndOor
games. Yes, they are games-not
sporta-the best that can be doAe to
pass the time when we are housed
Yet they may serve another purpose.
Phillis and were iR the library. We
had fixed a table for pingpoRg, called
by some parlor tennis. The nane is
nm aspersloR ON the real tennis, which
ts one Of the finest games played. Phil
LIN was mt one end OF the table batt4ag
N little celluloId ball with a tny weod-
en racket, at the other doing the same
thing.
"Forty love," said Phil ON making d
POiAt.
"What did you call meT I asked
"I didn't call you anything"
"You said forty something. It didm't
sound like Bob, but yOu may have IN
tended 1t for Bob"
"Dear me, how you do hear thiAGBi
You'd better get an ear trumpet"
She won the game, and we proceeded
to the next had gained nothing R
my attempt to introduce a love scr1n-
mage and had given her q love game
We each made the same number Of
pSintS and Phil cried:
"Deuce"
That's like a girl" / said. "0ae
moment you call me love and the next
devil"
"I've called you neitherg
She made a. point and said, "vaR-
tager
"Itg aII advantage with q GIRL" i ne
marked. "She can call a fellow Love
and not mean IT, whereas tf the fellow
does any spooning he's held to q strict
Accountability"
That's emly when he's a desirable
parti."
She enforced the words with O ball
that hit me In the face.
st have made no such pretense."
Whether 1t was the sting of her
words or of the miserable little globe,
| there was some asperity in my dis
claimer.
''Who accused you of making a pre-
tanSe?'
| Though I was endeavoring to turn
! the subject from the game to some
thing very near my heart, | could not
seriously accuse her. so ! made no
reply.
'That's the end of the SET" she said
Shall we play another?"
'rd much rather sit by the fire."
She tossed her racket ON the table
and. going to the fireplace, stood be-
fore it, rubbing her haAdS as IL they
were Geld. They were not, aS / SOeA
learned. She knew what was coming,
| and it ratified her q bit. Rather,
should say, she hoped for what was
coming. | had worked up 10 the deGia-
| ration point a number of times and
stuck there. It's one thing 10 tell
girl you love her when she has besn
struck by lightning and falls into your
arms In a critical condition; 1t is quite
another to do the deed in cold blood
At any rate. my efforts had all been
failures.
"Why did you intimate" / asked, &C.
ing to her and leaning against the man-
tel over the fireplace, "that am not a
desirable parti?"
81 didn't"
Stuck again.
| looked through the window at the
snow piling UP In drifts. If one finds O
task difficult under certain c1rcum-
stances he thinks 1t would be easier
under other circumstances. I was finn a
comfortable room with o. cheerful opeN
flrW before me, but I thought I could
pct cut what wanted to say out I'm the
| a@Sw.
/ Lets 20 eat and Sn0Wball," said
Ghe looked disappointed, but aceeded
DO my request She donRed a warm
taalsaf and a woven hood. and we sal
h~d fOrth
"XSW stand there" said. "I'll stand
Mmre. You threw the first ball Mt me. :"
How I was to make proposal while
p@iting her I didn't know. | hoped
something would turn up to help me-
| It did. but Phillis turned 1t up; / didn't.
PHI made a SNOWFALL and threw &c at
me. lodged 1t. threw one at Phil.
1t went wide Of the mark. She htt me
On the chin Something &c
was the sting-put an extra amount OF
force into my arm as / threw the next
ball. couldn't see that 1t had hit her,
but she put her hands to her eye and
sank down on the cold snow with a
moan. ran to her.
"Phillis, dear! Sweetheart! Forgive
mel | am beast to have hurt you"
pulled away her hands, and she
looked at me with inexpressible sweet
ness. I kissed the wounded eye.
Now. that eye should have been
either inflamed or cold or snow wet.
1t was neither. 4 few bits Of snow
were on her shoulder. The SNOWFALL /
had thrown was sQuashed against the
fence directly behind her.
"Phillis. dear, let US go back to the
library"
/ supported her into the house, and