The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1922-01-12
The Life of the
Party
By MARTHA MACWILLIAMS,

Billy Train chanted through the
Kitchen door. Emma Lee looked up
from the apple she was peeling as she
answered him:
i won't accept paper OF pins-thats not
the way that love begins.
And will not marry you-you. will not
marry your
Goodness, how determined.
Sounds like you thought was in earn
est" Billy commented. "You ought to
know if it was that way I'd have sung
the last verse;"
"M-m-m!' from Emma-nothing
more. Billy ran on undaunted: "That
would have fetched you sure as shoot
in. See-hear rathe1>it goes real
pretty-this way:
I'll give you the key OF my chest SO you
may have gold at your request.
If you will marry me-me-me!
II you will marry me!'
Silence even tenser from Emma. 1t
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 60:
II will accept the keys Of your chest that
may have gold at your request.
And will marry you-you! And
I will marry your
Both Emma's hands went up-a
round apple hard and juicy sailed
straight toward her tormentor's face.
He sidestepped neatly-the apple
landed on the grass plot fully thirty
feet beyond him. Eyeing them mar
rowly, he said n,ournfully: "Hard
luck, but real. Unless had found out
your temper and how straight you can
throw I might have persisted in my
notion Of marrying you. Now-well.
it will take an order of court and
whole strong-arm posse to bring such
a thing to pass"
"Indeed!" Emma tried hard to
scowl but her eyes danced in spite of
her. She knew Billy through and
through, by heart. He had courted
her on all possible and impossible &C.
casions for at least year. In fact
ever since the day after he came to
Railways, his uncle's place next door
to the cottage, which Lees had built
four generations back, and which had
escaped alien ownership. It had been
modernized, Of course, since the Lees
each and several. born farmers, withal
good traders, were farm folk, held In
high esteem by all the countryside.
Billy had told Emma three hours aft
er they met that country girl with
modern improvements had been his
hopeless ideal until he found 1t real
lied in her.
"'Sposen we were to kiss and be
friends!I Billy ventured advancing
and bending over Emma. She sprang
up, shaking a stained fist in his face,
and saying: "'Sposen we don't.
'Sposen again you clear out. Unless
l get these villainous apples ready for
the driers, however am to find time
for the picnic"
"By letting me help-my. middle
name is apple-peeler," Billy answered
with heavy sigh. Two minutes later,
equipped with knife, tray and one Of
black Maria's biggest cook aprons he
was proving that he could peel-in
any company. Emma watched him
covertly, now and again dimpling
roguishly aside. II only Billy knew
The joke almost overcame her. Pic
MICS were nothing to her-picnics COM
mon or garden variety. This after
Moons would run on into a moonlight
and she had promised by letter, In
black and white, to save all the one
steps for partner she had never
seen.
Further an amateur poet. part edi-
tor of a springht'y local daily pub
lished In town near a hundred miles
away. In Aunt Beth's town, in fact,
and Aunt Beth knew him we'll. She
had had the home paper follow her
when she made her long visit to the
COIIHkC. OOluclAlA6 whimsical III ~
had moved Emma to make brief yet
sparkling comment, which had been
answered in kind. After that-the
deluge. Once a week at least their
letters had crossed. The result, at
first due to accident, had proved pi-
quaint and provocative enough to have
made the crossings later matter OF
design. Oddly enough Emma had re-
fused to ask questions regarding the
unknown's personality. She liked his
name-Palmer Brice-it looked we'll,
printed or written, and was printed
frequently. This she knew through
clippings from other local dailies
which had come in his letters, some
of them humorously severe, others
touched with the sincerest fattery of
imitation. Emma was not in love with
him-how could she be, she asked her
self with Billy on the doorstep half
the time. But in such matters choice
was precious. Since Billy's advent
there had been total eclipse Of school
boy sweethearts and such. Billy was
q born pre-emtor. he no sooner knew
of anything ahead than he pre-empted'
Emma for the occasion.
"The last-prajse be !" Emma said