Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-01-10

Better things hau come IN It's place
understanding and what more, often
l have vainly tried to estimate. For
one thing that sudden revelation or
the heart Of childhood had lifted my
aunt's out of the cold storage Of a
puritanic spirit, and warmed 1t into
new life and opened its door for me.
In the afternoon she sent me over
to Wills to borrow little tea.
stopped for few minutes to play
with Henry Wills-a boy not quite
a year older than I. While playing
there discovered a piece of the
rind Of my melon in the dooryard. On
that piece of rind I saw the cross
which l had made one day with my
thumb-nail. 1t was intended to in
dieate that the melon was solely and
wholly mine. l felt flush Of anger.
II hate you" I said as approached
him.
II hate you" he answered.
You're snake!" I said
We now stood. face to face and
breast to breast, like pair Of young
ROSTERS. He gave me shove and
told me to go home. I gave him q
shove and told him I wouldn't.
pushed up close to him again and
we glared into each others eyes.
Suddenly he spat in my face. l
gave him a scratch on the forehead
with my finger-nails. Then we fell
upon each other and rolled on the
ground and hit and scratched with
feline ferocity.
Mrs. Wills ran out Of the house and
parted US. Our blood was hot, and
leaking through the skin of our faces
little.
! HE pitched on me-" Henry ex-
planned.
l couldn't speak.
"Go right home-this minute-you
,rat!" said Mrs. Willis in anger.
Here's your tea. Don't you ever come
here again" ..
1 took the tea and started down the
road weeping. What bitter day
that was for me! l dreaded to face
my aunt and uncle. Coming through
the grove down by our gate I met
Uncle Peabody. With the keen in.
sight of the father of the prodigal son
he had seen me coming - long way
off, and shouted:
swell. here 70 bel was kind o
worried, Bub."
Then his eye caught the look of de-
lection in my gait and figure. He hur-
ried toward me. He stopped a.
came sobbing to his feet.
"Why, what's the matterf he asked
gently. as he took the tea cup from
my hand. and sat down upon his heels.
could only fall into his arms and
express myself in the grief Of child
hood. He Rugged me close and begged
me to tell him what was the mat
ter.
"That Wills boy stole my melon"
I said, and the words came slow with
sobs.
"oh, no, he didn't" said Uncle Pea
body.
Yes he did. saw 4 piece O the
RIM"
"Well by" said Uncle Peabody,
stopping, as usual, at the edge Of the
precipice. ....-..
''He's a snake" I added.
'.And you 1t and he scratched you
up that way7'
Il scsatched him, too"
Don't you say a word about it to
Aunt Deel. Don't ever speak O. that
miserable melon ag'in to anybody.
You scoot around to the barn, an
I'll be there in q minute and fix ye
up"
He went by the road with the tea
and I ran around to the lane and up
to the stable. Uncle Peabody met
me there in moment and brought a
pail of water and washed my face
so that I felt and looked more respect.
able.
( The worst was over for that day,
but the Baynes-Wills feud had begun.
It led to many a fight In the school
yard and on the way home. We were
so evenly matched that our quarrel
went on for long time and gathered
Intensity as it continued.
(To be continued)