The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1919-06-19
A Spriingtiime
Thaw
BY ANNA REDFERN


Big Bill Sheldon was decidedly not
Westerner. One could have guessed
that fact by his air of reserve-a re-
fined, courteous, but nevertheless clear
ly obvious sufficient-for-myself
manner. The manner, however, was
not of Bits own choosing; rather was
1t product Of environment. More
over, 1t was source Of deep grievance
to him, for try as hard as he might he
could not make friends, with reserve
as impenetrable as the Rock Of Gibral-
tar rising between himself and every
one he met Even the glad spontaneity
OF merry Western city, where friend
Illness was the rule, rather than the re-
verse, seemed not to melt the Ice.
How could his new-found acquaint-
ances divine for themselves that with
In his six feet bulk of calm blond non
chalance lay desire for adventure as
keen as that of some twelve-year-old
devotee of Nick Carter; or that the
wistful look showing forth every now
and then from his deep gray eyes be-
NOnNhNu Oh'y thN oltOi6 thdt
somewhere, sooner or later, some one
would notice him and really like him
In spite of himself. No wonder he
hoped; and no wonder Aunt Della
stood at her wits end to entertain him.
She had fed him to the fattening
to every one she knew she had waited
on him more tenderly than his own
mother would have done, and still he
looked bored.
II think, auntie," he said after the
first week Of agony, that l shall have
to be starting for home. Father can
scarcely run the shop without me
much as l would like to stay" he
added as polite afterthought.
There was no doubt that Bill was
homesick. And whether 9 feet POO
pounds suffers prOportionately more
than does 5 feet 100 pounds, even Bill
had no heart to answer. Blue to the
bottom of his No. 8 boots, he paced
gloOmily around Aunt Della's sunny,
comfortable living room, impatiently
humping against knick-knacks and
chairs. Fourteen times without stop
ping he paced. On the fifteenth round
he stopped by the long French window
with jerk. He pulled aside the blue
cretonne curtains, and drawing him
self erect In the soft spring sunshine
he drank in the pleasing sight through
eyes and nose and mouth.
The morning was clear and fair and
radiant the clouds were blue and soft
and fieecy; the lawns were lush and
green with young grass; the trees
were newly in leaf. But fairer sight
than all this caught and held his at
tention. In neighboring yard, scarce
ly two rods away, there flashed
maiden back and forth with move
ments as graceful and dainty as those
Of some wood nymph.
With few deft movements she
drew up the sagging white-string net
and fastened it taut across the tennis
court. She tried out her balls and
rackets with bubbling, boylike ex-
Infancy, as IL the tonic Of springtime
had found affinity with her feet.
"Yough," gasped Bill, and "Yough -,
"Oh. auntie, who's the young lady next
doorY
Aunt Della carefully set her pie
crust in the yellow mixing bowl, wiped
her hands and came at her young
nephew's excited call.
That's no young lady," she correct
ed. "That is Irene Roberts. Why,
I've known that child ever since she
was born"
"How long is that, auntie2" Bob per-
sisted.
"Well, now, let me see. 1t must be
twenty years or thereabouts." Bob
raised his eyebrows quizzically. but
Aunt Della ratified on. "Yes, and just
as you see her now she's always been
jumping, running, playing tennis,
riding horseback. She's a regular tom
boy"
To Aunt Della Irene was Just the
same madcap little girl that she had
always known from childhood up. Not
50 to Bill He stood by the window
and watched his lively young neigh
boris gyrations with distinct approval.
"She Is flame and action" he mused
as her red-brown bobbed curls flashed
In the sunshine. Altogether he ap-
proved Of her-of her trim white fan
mel dress and high-cut russell boots, of
her well-knit, graceful figure swaying
In the sheer delight Of motion, and her
frank boyish activity. So much did he
approve that the wistful look came
back into his deep brown eyes, and
the homesick feeling formed hard
lump and settled In his throat.
That she had no companion in her
game seemed not to bother Irene at
all. Back and forth she scintillated,
her tennis ball now on one side of the
net, now on the other.
Suddenly she threw down her ball
and started toward Bits point Of OBJ
servance. "Auntie Bascom," she call
ed, "Tm coming in to see you"
Rilus exnpripnce of twentv-two