The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1920-07-16

took on more squint. He was leary
about runnin' into anybody; we was
gettin' pretty close to home
There was more than one voice.
There was an echo of voices-a jump
bled echo, but nothin' to see ahead Of
us but the big walnut and butternut
trees.
Then there came the sound of a
splash.
"M-hm," says Hard Faced Mike, with
a KNOWN jerk of his head. We'll
have to steer shy. It's the gang in
swimmin'."
"You old fool" says, "do you ex-
pect any of that bunch ahead there
know you?" I honestly believe ne
didn't think long enough but what
at first he figured he was just about
to run into his old gang!
| A few rods farther and we was
able to look down on the naked forms
cavortin' in the water. The far
inland "crick" had widened at the
spot to a distance, I should say, of
about Is feet. There was a slippery
place close to the dark-green water
that was being used to dive from and
there was Jumps of wearin' apparel
scattered around the big walnut tree
near the bank.
| OF course the faces bobbin' around
in the water was none of 'em familiar
to Hard-Faced Mike, and into none OF
'em came any sign of recognition or
welcome. When we come and stood
above 'em on the edge of the bank
they cut out their barterin' just long
enough to make sure we wasn't too
near their clothes to steal 'em, and
then kidlike, they lost interest in u.s.
To them we was just couple OF
old men, that was all-rank outsiders
How does she look?" I asks.
| 81 can almost step across it." poohs
Hard-Faced Mike.
II guess your old gang is gone
scattered by now" I says. What
was the freckle-faced kids name then,
and the one that was afraid to go in
deep, and the one that always stayed
in until his lips was blue? Where are
they now-runnin' corporations, or
dom time, or in place where there
amt no coolin' water like this?"
Hard-Faced Mike tilted his black
felt hat on the back of his head I'M
til the sun that was goin' down struck
him straight in his squinty eyes. At
times I had an idea that by the way
the sun hurt his eyes perhaps he was
gettin' in need of a half attempt to
straighten his damp hair. His hair
was gettin' thin on top.
| "Come on" he says.
Lookin' at that swimmin' hole
wasn't maxim no more difference to
him than if it was just the dusty road
we'd left. He was dulled, Hard-Faced
Mike was. He'd got through takin'
interest in things.
| "Come on" he says again.
But just as we started to go, a
naked form rushed past us land reach
in the edge of the "crick" bank, zip
ped head first into the dark green
water. When I looked up at Hard
Faced Mike I saw him turned ready
to go but his head was lookin' back
waitin' for the the kid to come up
'Ill be d-d!" says Hard-Faced
Mike "That's the very stunt 1 used
to do myself when Hank Klein and
the McNeill kids and Jim Writ and
Earne Sopere didn't das't"
The kid that had just made the dive
was no more than up out of the water
than he started to duck the kid near
est him. l don't know that l can de
scribe the kid that made the dive, ex-
cept that he had youth" written all
over him in circus poster letters.
There was cowlick in his whitish
hair that the "crick" water hadn't
plastered down the wetness just glis
tened on his tanned skin, and he was
shakin' the drops out of his blue eyes
like a regular river animal.
l was lookin' over at Hard-Faced
Mike and he was starin' at where the
kid had come up in the water. Some
how his eyes HAD lost their squirt;
there was dreamy look in 'em. IL
you've been around with a guy long
you can pretty near read the thoughts
sometimes.
Do you know what Hard-Faced Mike
was imaginin'? He was imaginin'
that the dark-green water was creep
in, lukewarm cool, about his own
tanned and sunburnt self, an. his toes
had left his clumsy black shoes an.