Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-03-16
STORY OF THREE
BY MARTHA M. WILLIAMS.

<oACLld sat swinging anu Singing
at the top of her young voice:
Il wish had er ginger cake, wish
had er dime;
I wish I had er new f. cents ter give
dat gal er NINE"
"Why so sinfully lavish, Fretty?'
Benton called to her from the blanket
he lounged on twenty yards away.
why not offer something possible to
mere men and mOrtals? A red apple,
FOR instance. might be equal to
that
Fretty was light, 1.-THE, seventeen
year-old tomboy, filed with the ''beau-
ty Of the devil" found only at such
age. Benton, her fathers chum,
found her vastly diverting. He was
at Tip Top for the hot weather, and
glad Of anything that made his exile
more bearable.
You thought was dads little girl,
wearing finger in her mouth and ex-
pect1ng to be kissed when her face
and her frock were clean," Fretty
burst out from the height of wide
swoop. 'But-Pve forgiven you for
disappointing me so-being a Chris
tian-minded person." Benton coun-
tered. Thereat Fretty giggled. "Want
me to tell you something's she asked.
Il will-whether or no. I bet Babe
Acklen pig against poppy, before I
ever saw you, that you'd fall dead in
love with me-in about three days."
"Who won the bet?" Benton inter-
rupted. Pretty stopped the swing
dead. "We-have to ask you that"
she said, flushing the least bit. "Babe
says the puppy's mine-wants to bring
1t right over to me-but / say not
though amt quite ready to let him
have the casting down eyelids
that showed dark-fringed lashes
against the soft color Of her cheeks.
LET me see. Pretty much Of a
draw, think" Benton said, musingly.
Il hate to say it, but you lose, IL
anybody does, by being too old. If
we had met earlier, say when you
were ten or thereabout, I never could
have resisted you"
"Yes, you could. was uglier then
than homemade small snaggly-
toothed and freckled as turkey egg
and right down stringing in arms and
well, everywhere, because I ran
and played so hard. There's a lot in
feeding yourself, let me tell you. I
found that out when snapped green
apples and candy for meat and bread
and things"
Il have been mercifully spared, that
is plain. But tell me how did Babe
live through the snaggly-tooth and
green-apple epoch?" Benton asked
with an air Of keen detachment. Fret
ty shook her fist at him, crying:
Babe! Lawsy me! Why he's case
hardened--was that sort his own self
I do reckon we were the toughest
lookin', raggedest pair of colts that
ever romped in any pasture.
II always tie him at any sort Of
mark" she said. But not when we're
hunting birds or squirrels or rabbits.
I always shut my eyes as 1 pull the
trigger"
Il see! You have mercy on live
targets Of Sorts" Benton said re-
fiectively: "But-how about men?"
Fretty laughed laugh Of sparkling
malice, saying: "Ohl let them take
what's coming to them-if they
haven't got gumption enough to step
out Of range"
"Hm! Anything personal in that?"
Benton asked. Instantly Fretty was
all wide-eyed innocence. "How could
there be?" she asked you're same
as vaccinated-dads best friend"
"But-that doesn't make me i'm
mune." Benton answered, his voice
suddenly strained. He got up jerkily,
stretched, ran back of Fretty and sent
the swing sailing the full length Of
it's ropes. It was a foolish expert
ment-he wanted to startle her from
her supreme poise. Also hazardous
ropes, like affections, wear through
under too great tension. To his hor-
ror, he heard a low cracking sound
saw one big strand of the huge hempen
cable give, part, and suddenly un-
wind. The motion was still outward
when it checked for the down-sweep
there would be further breaking.
Even If the whole cable did not
part deep list sidewise would mean
a fall, a deadly fall, for this girl
child whom he knew suddenly held
his heart in her two hands. Duly
he spied the blanket-spied also a tall
youth running on winged feet.
Benton had already seized the
blanket-but he would never have
known where to hold it effectually.
Babe moved instinctively to the right
spot, glancing now and then at the
figure in air. Fretty sensed the dam
ger-with both dimpled hands she
chung to the sound side Of the cable.
But the power of weight and mass
tore loose her grip-she catapulted
forward, downward-to certain death,
1t seemed. But earth was not to slay
her. Babe and Benton held the
blanket taut, but it was Babe who
eased 1t at the exact instant to save
Fretty from a dangerous rebound
Her face was white, but she laughed
as she set foot on earth. Benton felt
like a murderer-he could not meet
her eyes. But Babe after one look
walked precipitately away, saying
over his shoulder: "Two's company,
three a crowd"
"You can never forgive me-" Ben
ton began. "Never." Fretty echoed.
$50 I'll have to even things by ag-