The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1918-01-30
Gregory
Fuller, Model
By Osborn Jones
By Osborn Jones

ng chairs on the boarding house yer
anda, and in each of those chairs sat
Foman, varying In age and figure al
he way from the six-year lassie, whC
a bolt upright, with her chubby bare
egs crossed tailor fashion under her
~ she laboriously piled the stitches oi
wash cloth with her rosy fingers
iown, or rather up, to Mrs. Van deI
Hayden, who looked as we who have
never seen a duchess at close range
imagine duchesses of three-score and
more all do look--portly and naughty
and serene. She was knitting an ayi-
ators helmet. All in all, there were
twenty-four needles clicking, and, save
when some one stopped to count stitch
es, there were half as many tongues
gently wagging.
No wonder, then, that the two un-
attached males whom unkind fate had
condemned to abide in the one board
ing house In town preferred to smoke
their pipes and read their papers on
the wooden settle down by the gate
Of The old house. Except for the fact
that they were doomed to share the
same bench in this Ostracism, there
was little in common between Gregory
Fuller and the other young man, who
sought to entertain and Impress Greg
ory with his social ConQuests In his
home town.
Still, when the young man went for
R weekend to that home town, pre-
sumably to score a few more triumphs,
Gregory felt doubly oppressed I'm his
Dstracism; and without knowing Just
how things stood between Gregory and
Margery Drake-the little twenty-year-
old school teacher that sat up there in
the third chair from Mrs. Van der Hay
den and knitted sleeveless sweaters
you might have wondered why he did
not seek some other place to spend his
Saturday afternoon than down there
on the hard wooden bench by the fence,
with only a magazine and a Iipe TO
console him. Down there at least he
was unobserved, or thought ne was,
and he could be sure that Margery was
safe. He had little reason to feel
jealousy, for, except for his erstwhile
companion who had gone home for the
weekend, Gregory was about the only
eligible male in the community.
"Do you know, l think there must
be something wrong with these direc-
tions." 1t was the shrill treble of Mrs
Jones-the angular blonde lady with
the bediamonded fingers who sat next
to Margery. 'T have followed them
faithfully-bound off thirty-two stitch
es for the head, knitted five ribs, and
then set on thirty.two stitches again,
and will you look at the size of the
neck?'
Margery beside her compared her
own nearly completed sweater with
her neighbor's. ''NIine is just the same
size. I took it for granted that the
rules We're right"
"But can't get 1t over my head at
ALL" exclaimed Mrs. Smith as she
seized Margery's sweater and tried to
pull it over her blonde pompadour
"Of course you can't" reproyed the
duchess, pausing as she counted stitch
es--''twenty-three, twenty-four, twen-
ty-five-with your hair done over a rat
OF course your head is larger than a
mans"
"You don't suppose do such
thing" gasped Mrs. Smith. "Though
will admit that my hair is very thick
and that may take up more room. But
even if my hair is full, don't you think
2 mans ears are big and would take
The extra room in slipping it on? al
ways think mems ears are very big"
II have noticed that Mr.. Smiths
are suggested the duchess, still count
Ing.
'If we could only try the sweater
on q real man." sighed Mrs. Smith
ITS too bad my husband is a travel
ing man. He's the only husband in the
house and he is away"
"But there are other men, suggested |
Mrs. Van der Hayden.
"Not Mr.. Fuller" gasped Margery.
'Please don't let's ask him." She had !
seen at least eight pairs of eyes cast +,
IN the direction of the little wooden
bench and its solitary occupant. It
was too late and useless to protest
for the portly Mrs. Van der Hayden |
had risen and beckoning with her large |
angular hand, she called: "Young |
nan, Mr.. Fuller, will you step this
way" and then, feeling that her word |
was law, she sank down into her chair
again; ''seventy-eight, seventy-nine, |
aighty." she counted on.
Gregory rose and came up the steps /
10 the porch and. as the twenty-four
needles ceased to click and half as
many pairs of feminine eyes were lev
sled upon him, he felt the color rise in
bis cheeks and under his collar.
''You are an average-sized young |
nan, aren't your queried the duchess
as If she were asking a new gardener
whether he could cut the grass.
well then viii you let these ladies
ry their sweaters on your"
Then the fitting process began and
he only consolation that came to Greg
Try was the knowledge that Margery
vas blushing confusedly and because
le knew that the first sweater that was
RED on him was made by Margery's
air hands.
''Yes. 1 think his ears stick out a bit,
co." commented Mrs. Van der Hay
len, ''but then / suppose the average