The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-03-11
ASTORY OF THREE
BY MARTHA M. WILLIAMS. /,

| 1thdSdNdN00dN N6bd6d6d60N06
GO 1921. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.)
Alfaretta sat swinging and singing
at the top of her young voice:
II wish had err ginger cake, wish
had er dime;
! wish had er new f. cents ter give
dat gal er mine."
"Why so sinfully lavish, FrettyY
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. I 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.
pecting to be kissed when her face
and her frock were Clean" Fretty
burst out from the height Of a wide
swoop. "But-Tve 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
II will-whether or no. | bet Babe
Acklen pig against poppy, before
ever saw you, that you'd fall dead in
love with me-in about three days."
"Who won the bet?" Benton inter
rupted. Fretty 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 I say not
though I amt quite ready to let him
have the pig''-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, musirgly
* hate to say it, but you lose, If
anybody does, by being too old. If
we had met earlier, say when you
were ten or thereabout, / never could
have resisted you"
Yes, you could. I was uglier then
/ than homemade small snaggly-
| toothed and freckled as a turkey egg
and right down stringing in arms and
| well, everywhere, because 1 ran
and played so hard. There's a lot in
feeding yourself, let me tell you. ]
found that out when / snapped green
| apples and candy for meat and bread
and things"
II 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
| Il do reckon we were the toughest
lookin', raggedest pair of colts that
ever romped in any pasture.
/ Il always tie him at any sort of
mark" she said. t'But not when we're
hunting birds or squirrels or rabbits.
/ always shut my eyes as / 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: "Oh! let them take
what's coming to them-if they
haven't got gumption enough to step
out of range"
Him! Anything personal in that?''
Benton asked. Instantly Fretty was
all wide-eyed innocence. slow could
there be?" she asked. you're same
as vaccinated-dad 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
| its ropes. 1t was 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 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 a 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 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 dan
| 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,
| it seemed. But earth was not to Stay
her. Babe and Benton held the
blanket taut, but it was Babe who
eased it 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 cOmuany
| three a crowd"
"You can never forgive me-" Ben
| ton began. Never" Fretty echoed