Smyrna times., 1920-02-04
WHAT'S IN A NAME?
BY JENNIE LITTLE.

seemed to threaten: 81 shall keep it up
TILL your nerves are on edge, or your
spirits down In zero" and felt that
1t d.'"'t need to persevere much long
er, Summer vacation had begun. but
what was the use of being released
from drilling tiresOme children and
correcting examination papers. if there
was nothing better in sight?
mo, | may as we'll confess and get
1t over. Up to that time not scrap
of excitement, adventure or romance
had ever come into my life. and it
was my thirty-ffth birthday! But ,
what could you expect from a plain. /
prOSy creature. handicapped from the /
very start with the name of Amelia !
Bump? | suppose the Bump was in /
evitable, seeing that l had no choice I
in the matter Of ancestors, but surely
if my dear parents bump of wisdom !
had been ever so slightly developed
they would have offset it with a lovely
front name like Evelyn, Sylvia or Dor
! is
Even Caroline might have been
| transformed into Carolyn. and Mary
| Jane into Marie Jean, or May Janette,
but not letter in the alphabet could
ameliOrate the misery of being chris
tened Amelia. No young man could
be expected to choose as his partner
at the merrymakings a girl who had
neither, money, beauty or brilliance to
take the sting from that hardly sup
pressed smile when he introduced my
friend. Miss Bump" Why, even my
scholars made puns about it,
And so when the old folks died and
left me little besides the old home.
with not a near relative in the world.
it Just :eemed natural that 1 should
settle down for keeps, In the role of
old maid country school teacher. Nat
urally it happened that sometimes
that starved youth in me clamOred for
recognition, and raised riots. as to-
day.
: 1t was the annual county fair, and I
had watched them all go by in their
shining buggies and autOs-sweet-
hearts, young married couples, and
families, till 1t seemed that poor
Amelia Bump was the only solitary per-
son In the village. 1t had been per
feet morning, and now felt touch
Of savage satisfaction that the rain
would spoil their pleasure, until l re-
n membered that a blizzard may seem
:. May day if only you are with some
one you love. Oh! was in tune with
the weather, all right
And then my ears caught the roaring
hum of an airplane. nearer, nearer
|. unbellevably near! l raced to the door
in time to see something like giant
e. wounded bird swO0ping down on the
big meadow below the house. Crash
,r Then my curiosity carried me on fly
ing feet to the spot, where a figure re-
sembling an armOred knight in goggles
picked himself up with a dazed look
and bent over another PROSTATE form
After a hasty examination he turned
to me. as l stared. Open-mOuthed.
"Tough luck! Came through thu
war without a smash. and now DrOk
en- leg. and perhaps worse, for this lit
tie testing trip. Accident to engine
r. and we couldn't make a right landing
Where's a dOctor?"
Believe me, had little time t
waste sympathizing with myself tn
le rest of the day. He was badly hur'
and the doctor and nurse settled hir
IN in my little sunny guest room, so lon
al without a guest.
te The holidays flew on wings. L ma
r an interest in life, and the neighDOr
really seemed to include me in thei
re interest in him. But the blow had
rs fall. The day that he was able to D
d. helped out on the piazza, he turned
he serious face to me.
oHere am, nearly well enough
as leave. and have never asked yOJ
nd name. vet it seems that must hay
a known it always. we have grown to |
such friends"
er "Oh, no." l gulped "you couldn
ad guess it in a lifetime. It's Bump
vO and l fairly glared at him as Drac'
myself to meet that amused smil
ere Rnt If seemed to make absolutely
ON impression on him. for he went on
% NAnd your first name?"
er. TRY. all you ROsaIies and Marjorie
yer 70 share my feelings as l blurted OF
"Ob # matches the other-just Amel
RS, and how hate it," .
sh, He gave me such a queer look
&C. surprise. "Hate Amelia?" ne repeatt
lir- as if not sure of hearing me arg
"T love It best of all the names In I
on English language, for it was my MOI
in er's. Since she died. I've been
ms IoneIiest fellow alive" Lonely! A
TO No a handsome hero. There were t.
of us then, it seemed.
Well. all this happened weeks a
and today as write, across the tai
nc. sits nv aviator, the man of the hou
,elv refuse to recognize a grammar r
in or algebra sign when / meet the
but for unloved and unwanted Anne
.ain Bump has made her exit forever q
Mrs. Lieut.. Victor Fairfax has co
.,,-r lent II Glorious nan