The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1917-04-19

went to the bathroom, filed a tumbler
with water and, returning to his win
dow. sent tie contents in a spray on
the flower planter. There was just
enough of 4 sprinkling to cause her to
fear a douche. She arose from her
work and marched into the house. On
her way she cast a glance up at Billy
and made a face" at him. Billy i'll
return threw her 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 ar
tracted her attention, though he had
been obliged to sprinkle her to do so.
She had brought the sprinkling on
herself by giving him a stage snow
storm, and as for the face she had
made at him he did not mind that a
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 lie 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 10
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 t. array himself at O'Clock
for a function that was supposed to
begin at half past S. Much time was
required. He put three sets of studs
in his shirt before he was satisfied
with a set of tiny mosaics. He had
inserted gold links in his cuffs. and
this necessitated a further change, for
sleeve buttons he would expect to he
ordered out of the house by the host.
The tying of his neckwear was anoth-
er delay requiring some twenty-five
minutes. He succeeded in placing it
above the collar button, but was in
terror lest it slip down.
He was informed by his mother. who
stood by him nobIy 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 a limou-
sine that had been summoned to trans
port him to the scene Of hoped for con-
quests. A. he was driving away a
car stopped next door. He wondered
if the girl who lived there was going
anywhere.
Billy on reaching his destination
spent half an hour in the dressing
room. Whether it was for further
arrangement Of his apparel or a stage
fright at appearing at his first function
there is no record. Nevertheless he
held on t. 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. y
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.
Athertonw
Why all the retiring qualities are at
tributed to the softer sex it is difficult
to explain. Billy, as he expressed it
afterward, was taken flat aback."
Miss Hinsdale was as cool as a cucum-
Der Billy stammered something like
pleasure of a dance" whereupon she
threw back her head with all the air
of a society belle, at the same time
thrusting out 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 it doesn't re
quire much time for boy of sixteen
to fall in love. Billy did the falling
like house painter from a scatfold-
very suddenly. But he was a dead
man, so far as his heart was concern
ed, long before the evening was over
He had not only been made acquaint-
ed with the girl next door, but had
fallen madly in love with her.
The Touring, the Towering and the
sprinkling, and all that were over
and another phase of the affair was
begun.
But that Phase has been so often por-
trayed that we will leave these young
sters at 'the end of the beginning of
their affair by merely stating that the
love spats we're so numerous one would
suppose that they were bitter enemies
instead of lovers. Billy was at one
moment in The clouds, the next in the
slough of despair. This up and down
condition lasted till be went to college.
when he succeeded N getting admit