Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1917-03-30

the brightest girl in my class ana win
) her friendship. l would show her at
tention and be her best friend no mat
ter whether she was merely plain OF So
homely that / would thank her when
ever she wore a Veil.
TINS was Il really splendid idea. it
was d lot bigger than the other. As
soon as | had conceived it | forgot all
about my crouch. There was nothing
left of ii but my stern resolve. As q
matter of fact. the resolve was . little
weak in the back. too. For. as l con
valesced. the idea of causing pain and
sorrow to all those beautiful and trust
ing young girls became intolerable and
hastily recalled By regrets to tho
Kappa kap party.
! had suffered severely. however. n
| was bound to give my idea a triad.
needn't carry this intellectual friend
ship business to extremes. But / could
pick out the girl-a plain "ne-and at
least go and call on her. That would
show my irmness of mind and discrim-
mating character. Maybe L would even
take her Ia a party. OF cotlrse the fellows
would ask me II lot of pointed and sup
posedly funny questions. hut a strong
minded man would not mind that. and
l would get Il reputation for indiffer-
ence to trifles out of il. too. SO I be-
gan TO look over my class for possible
candidates for my high-minded and i'm
telligent friendship.
l must say there were plenty of pos
sibilities. l was surprised to discover
how many young ladies in the fresh
man class had entirely escaped my
notice. AS l say. l had had a friv-
olous and beauty-hunting eye. But
now that l had started hunting for
plain worth l was overwhelmed with
candidates. would look at two or
three of them earnestly and then go
away and rest for u While. There were
tall. thin girls: short. stout girls: old
girls with spectacles. and nondescript
girls with clothes which fitted them
lightly about the neck and nowhere
else in particular. 1 began to wonder
how I was going to find. among all these
girls. the one who might prove to be
the most sensible and entertaining. OF
course, L might go and call on all OF
them in turn. but balked at this. 1t
would a too much time and suffer-
ing. n besides there were two or
three girls-technically sp~eaking--in
the class. any one OF whom might be
the logical candidate. and. to tell :he
truth. l didn't have the nerve to take
the chance.
1 sat through half a dozen classes
looking over the collection and sizing
them up from their Rotations. and
finally decided that Miss Martha
Scroggs wou just about do. She was
a thin. freckled girl. bright but not
gaudy. with severe hair tied up to be
"a VI > WdS-d ElII whom L mao
passed on the campus until L had got
ten perfectly familiar with her hat,
without ever once looking at her face.
But she had a breezy way of sizing up
the great has-beens in English history
which pleased me. She was a girl
who might be really entertaining. ]
decided to talk With her, to call on her,
and to become her friend. 1t would i've
a Just recognition of her abilities. any
way. 1t was a shame hat so many OF
the really deserving and able young
women should be condemned to lone
illness because their faces dtdn' happen
to embellish the college scenery. /,
Petey Simmons, would not submit to
this injustice and Martha Scroggs, the
brightest girl III he class. should have
a good time If had any say about it.
Full Of this fine resolution, 1 slid out
of history class rapidly one day and
fell in beside the oun lady as she
trotted off toward the library. Be
lieve me. Miss Scroggs." 1 said, lifting
my hat. you certainly handled old
Henry. the wife collector, without
gloves today"
She turned quickly n look ed at me.
Then l remembered that l had never
met Miss Scroggs. OF course. we had
been in the same class and all that, but
I realized that l had never tripped
fighting for an introduction. She looked
at me. not in an unfriendly way. with
Il sort of curiosity-as If ! had been
some new kind Of bug. | felt my fool
face beginning to blush-I have an aw-
full time with that face Of mine-but
wasn't going to bac out. and 1 tod-
died right along, waiting to take what
ever h chose to hand me.
Miss Scroggs looked at me some
more with a sort Of perplexed air.
Suddenly her face frightened.
"Oh. yet, l know now!' she exclaimed
You're the little man who hides be-
hind Mr.. Pierce. aren't you?"
"Huh!" I said indignantly. Pierce
was a football man and broad. and
had lodged a number of flunks by
sitting very quietly behind him. But
I didn't care to have the whole class
height. Miss Scroggs.' said l, you
know my name and you know you
know It,"
''Oh." she said. i've heard you re-
ferred to as Mr.. Simmons. but it's so
hand and accurately"
MY name is Simmons" l said, DOW
ing low, Petty Simmons
I'm so glad to meet o Mr.. Sim
MONS" aid she. putting out her
turned into the library and left me e.'e
After l had thought of this incident
for h rest Of the day and most of the
evening 1 decided to be even larger
than l had any idea I could be and
overlook the whole thing. 1t was ma
tnral that Miss scroggs should be a
friendliness. Possibly. she was even
suspicious. 1t did seem queer, un-
doubtedly for me to take so sudden an
interest in her. Anyway. she wasn't
used to attention. I might have to
persevere very gently so as not to
Il HNSOhfnV h0R Dat Ah0 vayo N A-S-hA