Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-25
THE DAILY NOVELETTE,
The Life OF the Party
by MARTHA McC, WILLIAMS

ps Nttts
I'll give you a paper of pins If that's tho
II you viii marry meme! II you will
marry me-
DILLY TRAIN chanted through the
- kitchen door. Emma Lee looked up
from the apple she was peeling as she
answered him:
Il won't accept a paper Of plns-thats not
the way that love begins. ..u, 80,
marry YOU
Goodness, how dee termined. Sounds
like you thought | was in earnest,
Billy commented. "You ought to know
If 1t was that way I'd have sung the
| last verse.
"M-m-ln!" from Emma-nothinG
more. Billy ran on undaunted: u hat
would have fetched you sure as shot ,
in. Scc--hcre rather--it goes real
pretty-this way:
| "Iil give you tho keys Of my chest, go you
| may hGvS gold at your request;
IL you VII marry me--me-me' II you VIII
| marry me"'
provoked him to further chanting,
"You know how 1t runs. but you re that
obstinate, you won't sing it,. ] know
you re dying to hear it-so off we GO
II will accept tho keys Of your chest, that
| L may have gold at your request 49,
And WI marry you-you' Ana l wal
Both Emma's hands went up---n
round apple hard and juicy sailed
straight toward her tormentor's face:
lie sidesteppcd ncatly--the apple landed
on the grass plot fully thirty feet be-
yond him. Eycing her narrowly, he
said mournfully: Hard luck. but real,
Unless | had found out your temper
and how straight you can throw
might have persisted in my notion o'
marrying you. Now-well, it will take
an order of court and whole strong
arm posse to bring such a thing tc
pass.
Indeed. :" Emma tried hard tc
scowl, hut her eyes danced in spite o.
her. She knew Billy through ant
through. by heart. lie had courtcd hel
on all possible and impossible Occasi on
for at lcast n year. In faCt ever since
the day after he came to Ilillways, hi
unclcS place next door to the cottage
which Lees had built four generations
back, and which lad escaped aliei
ownership. II had been modernHed, o
course. since the Lees, each and several
born farmers. withal good traders. wer'
warm folk. held in high esteem by nj
the countryside. Biuy had told Emm'
three hours after they met that cOun
ls EIIl WITH ll'N'Ill lIIIl'N' NO iI't'
been his HOPELESS ideal until he found i
realized in her.
'Sposcn we were to kiss and b.
friends :" Billy vcntured. ADVANCING
and bending over Emma. She Spran
up. shaking stained fist in his fac"
and saying: " 'SpOsrn we don t
'Sposen again you clear out. Unless
get thos" villainnus apples ready for tn
dricrs. however am | to find time 70
the piCniC|'
"By letting me hclp-my middl
name is apple. ..peolrr:' Billy anSwere
with heavy sigh. Two minutes later
equipped with knife. tray and one o
black Maria'S biggest cook aprons h
was proving that he could pccl-in an
company. Emma watched him Covcrtly
now and again dimpling rOGuiShly aside
If only Billy knew. The joke almos
ovcrcam" her. P!cnics were nothing +
her--picncs common or garden variety
This afternoon would run on into
moonlight she had promised b
letter. in black and white. to save al
the one steps for a partner she ha
} never seen.
Further. m amateur poet. part
editor of sprightly local daily pub
liShed in town nearly hundred mil"
away. In Aunt Bcth's town, in fnct
, and Aunt Beth knew him we'll. She hn
had the home paper follow ncr vine
| she made her long visit 70 the cottage
Something whimsical in it had NOV"
, Emma to make brief yet sparklirl
; comment, which had been answered /