Connecticut western news., 1917-03-22

would have looked to sec where came from. Not so this young lady She was conscious of the fact that young man lived next door. She rt membered to have dropped -four oh hi shoulders md was on the lookout fo a response. In fact, she had seen Bill at his window amid rainbow c cravats. Given n girl in a back yard young man at a window, and it | to be supposed that the girl will ex. pect something,
 Billy tossed sprigs and flowers which fell to the girls right, to hei left, before her, behind her. but shS paid no attention to them. Then ht went to the bathroom, filled a tumble. with water and, returning to his win. dow, sent the contents in Il spray or the flower planter. There was jus enough of n sprinkling to cause her t1 fear a douche. She arose from her work and marched into the house. Or her way she cast glance up at Billy and made a face" at him. Billy iIl return threw her a kiss from the tips of his fingers.
 This time Billy saw enough of tho girl to be sure that she was pretty What else she was he did not know and did not care to know. He had ntt tracted her attention, though he had been obliged to sprinkle her to do sos She had brought the sprinkling on herself by giving him stage snowf 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 latchkeyI 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 q 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 he would never recover fromf the blow. She had fioured him and he | had lowered her, but this did not con- stitute an introduction. He would no more dare speak to her without the formal introduction required in social life thar ho 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 to array himself at G 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 further change, for had he worn mosaic studs with gold sleeve buttons he would expect to be ordered out of the house by the host. The tying of his neckwear was anoth- CT 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 nobly 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. As 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 stage fright at appearing at his first function there is no record. Nevertheless he held on to the banister on his way down. He made his bow to the hostess and was at once taken off by n member of the family to be present. ed to some of the young ladies he did not know.
 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 similar purpose before another when he stood stock still. She was the girl next door.
 Miss Betty Hinsdale, this is Mir. 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 "1at aback." Miss Hinsdale was as cool us cucum- ber Billy stammered something like pleasure of dance," whereupon she threw back her head with all the air of a society belle, at the same time thrusting out a 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