The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1921-11-16

his mot. .h
"Say not SO, Florence! Say not
so! Say not sop
"rll toll you one thing!" his lady
cous... cried, thoroughly infuriatc1.
II wish to make Just one last simple
remark that would care to soil my.
self with In your respects, Mister Her
lcrt Illingsworth Atwater and Mister
Henry Rooter!"
ooh, say not so, Florcncel" they
both entreated. "Say not so! Say
not so"
"Tll Just simply state the simple
truth" Floreice announced. "In the
first place you're gUih' to live to see
the day when you'll come and beg me
ON your bentcd knees to have ME put
pocms or anything l want to on your
Gle newspaper, but III just laugh at
%ou! Indced:' I'll. say 80 you
come bcggin' AROUND me, do You? Ha,
ha ! I'll say-I guess it's little too
late for that! Why wouldn't-'"
"Oh, say not so, Florence! Say not
SOL"
Me allow you to have one OF my
poems? I'll say, Much less than thatp
I'll say, because even If was wear
Ing the oldest shoes got In the world
l wouldn't take the trouble to-"
Her conclusion was drowned out.
"Oh, Florence, say not so! Say not
30, Florence Say not so!''
The hateful entreaty still murmured
In her resentful ears that night, as
she fell asleep; and she passed into
the beginnings Of dream with her
lips slightly dimpling the surface of
her pillow in belated repartee. And
upon waking, though it was Sunday,
her first words, half slumbrous in the
silence of the morning, we're, "Vile
things!" Her faculties became more
alert, during the preparation OF a
toilet which was to serve not only for
breakfast, but with the addition Of
gloves, hat, and blue velvet coat,
for church and Sunday school as we'll
and she planned hundred ven-
geances. That is to say, her mind
did not occupy itself with plots pos
sibly to make real rather 1t dabbled
among those fragmentary visions that
love to overlap and displace one an
other in the shifty retina Of the minds
eye.
But in all OF these pictures, where
In prevailingly she seemed some sort
Of deathly powerful Queen Of Poetry,
the postures assumed by the figures Of
Messrs. Atwater and ROoter (b0th
in an extremity Of ragsl were miser-
ably suppliant. SO she soothed her
self little-but not long. Herbert in
the next pew in church, and Henry In
the next beyond that, were perfect
compositions In smugness. They were
cold, contented, aristocratic; and had
an imperturbable understanding be-
tween themselves-qu perceptible
to the sensitive Florence-that she
was a nuisance now capably disposed
OF by their beautiful discovery OF "Say
not SO" Florence's feelings were un-
becoming to the place and occasion.
But at four o'clock that afternoon
she was assuaged intoSa milder con-
dition by the arrival, according to an
agreement made in Sunday school, Of
the popular Miss Patty Fairchild.
Patty was thirteen and half; an
exquisite person with gold-dusted
hair, eyes Of perfect blue, and IN al
Turing air Of sweet self consciousness
Henry Rooter and Herbert filings.
worth Atwater, Jr, out gathering
news, saw her entering Florence's
gate, and Immediately forgot that
they were reporters. They become 81
lent and gradually moved toward the
house Of their newspapers sole
poetess. q
Florence and Patty occupied them.
selves indoors for half an hour; then
went out into the yard to study a
mole's tunnel that had Interested Flor.
ence recently. They followed 1t across
the lawn at the south side Of the
house, discussing the habits OF moles
and other matters OF zoology; and
finally lost the track near the fence,
which was here the "back fence"
higher than their heads. Patty looked
through knothole to see if the tun-
mel was visible In the next yard, but
without reporting upon her observa-
tlons she turned, as if carelessly, and
leaned back against the fence, cover
ing the knothole.
"Tlorence," she said, in tone soft
onl fnyalinr fhun chs hoJ honY,