The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-20
Eoening Story
A Story of Three.
MARTHA MccULLocH WILLIAM

MARTHA McCULLOCH WILLIAMS.
Alfaretta sat swinging and singing
at the top of her young voice:
"I wish had er ginger cake, I wish
had er dime;
I wish I had er new IL cents to give
dat gal er mine.''
"Why SO sinfully lavish, Fretty?"
he lounged on twenty yards away.
why not offer something possible to
mere men and mortals? A red apple,
for instances. I might be equal to
that"
Sure enough, Smarty?'' Fretty
my doubts. But femme tell you this
you've got legs-if you don't like
my singin', why-you get up and dust
away. I have to sing when I feel like
it."
$50 hear-painfully. Benton flung
back mournfully.
Fretty made worse face. "Re-
member was weaned on The Blue
Juniata,'" she said. MY nanny
so we'll
ton apostrophized, dropping his book.
Fretty stopped the swing. saying,
severely: "Wah-neeta is another song.
Juny-etta goes like this:
'F1eet-ing years have borne away
the voice of Alfaretta-
Still sweeps the river on, Blue Jun-y-
ettai'
I'D like to know how you'd make
Wah-neeta rhyme?'
st wouldn't make it, Benton an
swered humbly, but with a twinkle.
Fretty began swinging afresh. She was
boy, filled with the beauty of the
deviI' 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 a 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 wide
swoop.
"But-Ive forgiven you for disap-
minded person." Benton countered.
Thereat Fretty giggled. want me to
tell you something?" she asked. 81
will-whether or no. I bet Babe
Acklen a pig against puppy, before
ever saw you. that you'd fall dead in
love with me-in about three days"
'Creditable to your penetration.
How. came you SO wiser" Benton
asked. Fretty giggled again, saying:
"Oh. I'm used to settin' old men off
their heads. The preachers. and even
the presiding elder, always wanted me
doing nothing at all. And Doc Bark
ley tries to kiss me every birthday
and him smoking worse than any
chimney"
"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
it right over to me-but I say not
tho amt quite ready to let him have
the pig'-casting down eyelids that
showed dark-fringed 1ashes against
the soft color of her cheeks.
LET me see. Pretty much of a
draw, think" Benton said, musingly.
II hate to say it, but you lose, if any
body does, by being too old. If we
had met earlier, say when you were
ten or thereabout, I never could have
resisted you"
ayes. you could. I was uglier then
than homemade small snaggly-
toothed and freckled as turkey egg
and right down stringing in arms and
played so hard. There's lot in feed
ing yourself, let me tell you. I found
that out when 1 snapped green apples
and candy for meat and bread and
things
at have been mercifully spared, that
live, thru the 'snaggly-tooth, and green
apple epoch?" Benton asked with an
air of keen detachment. Fretty shook
her fist at him. crying: Babel"
Lawsy mel Why! he's case-hardened
was that sort his own self do
raggedest pair of colts that ever
romped in any pasture. We both had
whooping cough and measles in the
same week-after that everybody said
we were bound to die-or grow up so
spindlin' it would be a pity we hadn't.
So they let US run wild-dad and
Squire Acklen-">
"Wise gentlemen" Benton inter-
rupted. Now if you had been mine
I should have sentenced you to die
of education"
"Our education acquired us-such
as they are Fretty explained. And
1 think they're good enough. We know
how to talk if We can't parse any
thing-and how to behave real nice
if there's need of it. Isn't that better
than having headful Of capitals and
things? Counting 1 1ove-it some
awful dub at 'rithmetic-but my! you
ought to see him shoot the spots out
of the nine of hearts"
you can do it?" Benton asserted
rather than asked. Fretty nodded.
IT always tie him at any sort of
mark" she said. But not when were
hunting birds or squirrels or rabbits.
always shut my eyes as I pull the
trigger"
Il see, You have mercy on live
targets of Sorts Benton said re-
flectively: "But-how about men %
Fretty laughed laugh of sparkling
malice saying: Oh 1 let them take
what's coming to them-if they
haven't got gumption enough to step
out of range"
auy,f Arp+I,;,,r parsora1 So +1,ot
Benton asked. Instantly Fretty was
all wide-eyed innocent. How could
there be-" she asked. you're same
as vaccinated-Dad's 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