The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1922-03-30

M1lla at the pastoral IuPhl. she her
self understood 1t, evidently for she
drew In her puckered skirts and with.
out any words made a place for him
beside her as he driftlngly approached
her affecting to whistle and keeping
his ewes on the foliage overhead. lie
still looked upward, even In the net Of
sitting down.
Squirrel or something he said
feebly, ms II In explanation.
"Where?" Mllla asked
UP there on a branch" He &C.
ceptcd a plate from her (she Ind pro.
yided herself with an extra onp). but
I he did not look at 1t or OF her. lie
continued to keep his eyes aloft. he.
cause he imagined that all of The class
were looking Mt him and Mila, and
he felt unable TO meet such publicity.
1t was TO him as If the whole United
States had been scandalized To aften-
ton by this act of his In going To sir
beside Milla he gaZed upward so long
that his eye-balls became sensitive I'M.
der the strain. He began IL blink II
cant make out whether it's squirrel
or just some leaves that kind q got
fixed like one" he said u can't make
out yet which Ii Is. but guess when
heres n breeze. If It's n squirrel he'll
probIy hop around some then. If he's
alive or anything"
II had begun to seem that his eyes
must remain fixed in that upward
stare forever; he wanted To bring them
down. hui could not face tie glare of
the world. But finally the brightness
of the sky between the leaves settled
matters for him; he sneezrd went. and
for little moment again faced his
'eliOwmen. No one WIS lnol:ing at
him: everybody except Milla had other
fin"S to du.
Un"ing snoezod involuntarily, he
added spell of coughing for -
here was no necessity. Il guess :
must been wrong" he muttered thic,dy.
What about, Ramsey"
about it's bein' squirrel" Viii
infinite timidlty he turned his head
and encountered gnze 81 soft, so hal
lowed, that 1t disconnected him. and
he dropped "drumstick" of fried
. chicken. well dotted with ants, from
his plate. Scarlet he picked ii UP, but
did not eat 1t. For the first time in
his life he felt that eating fried chick
, en held In the fingers WAS not To be-
thought Of. He replaced The "drem-
stick" upon his plate and allowed it
, to remain there untouched. In spite Of
IL great hunger for It,
Having looked down. he now found
difficulty in looking up. hui gazed
steadily at his plate. and into this
limited circle OF vision came MJlas
delicate and rosy fingers. hearing II
gift. There she said in Il nioiherll
little voice. ITS tomato mayonnai>t
, sandwich and | made II myself.
want YOU to eat 1t, Ramsey"
His own fingers approached tremu
lonsness as he accepted the thick sand
wlch from her and conveyed II In hi.
mouth. A moment later his soul file
with horror, for spuri OF mayonnais'
dressing had caused catastrophe til,
scene Of which occupied no inoonSidrr
able area Of his right cheek. whirl
|
CROPPED 'Ewretchedly for his handlSer
chief but could not find 1T /; he had losl
It. Sudden death would have been re-
lief he was sure that after. such gre
tesquerie sfnla could never bear /,
have nnything more to do WITH hin
he was ruined. -"
In HIS anguish he felt n paper nap
\ | Ia, ipta tz
soft Voice said In his ear "Wipe il ~
with this, Ramsey Nobody's motto
ing"
SO this incredibly charitable creature
was still able to be his friend. ever
after seeing him mayonnaised Hun
bly, marveling. he did ms size told hin,
but avoided all further risks. lie ntf
nothing more.
He sighed his first sigh Of ineNpreS'
likeness. had chill or so along TIN
spine, md at intervals bis brow VA
hedewed
Within his averted eyes there dwell
not the Mlla Rust who sal beside him
Ind become angelic. sHr
He spent the resi- of the day iaN
,lfing hAlplessly nbout her; wherever
she went he was Hrar MS near rs pas.
siblp. hut Of no deliberate volition III
mis- own. Something seemed 10 tie hin
to her, and Milla was nothing 10th
He seldom looked at her directly, ~
for longer thnn an instant, and more
rarely still did he speak 10 her eNeep
as n reply. Whit few remarks h,
ventured upon his own initiative near
ly all concerned the landscape, whicl
he commended repeatedly in Il veal
voice. ms "kind of pretty though once
he sHd he guessed there might be bug.
In the bark OF log on which they sat
and lie became so immOderntcly per
sonnl ms to declare that If the bug,
had TO get ON anybody he'd rather
fhey got Oh him than on Milla. She
said that WIS Just perfectly lovely
f him. asked where he got his sweet
nature. and In OTHER ways encouraged
him to continue the revelation, hui
RBnsey was unnhe to get forward
with II, though he opened and CLOSED
| In