The Hope pioneer., 1922-08-17
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
RH.LIVINGSTONE,.

CHAPTER Discontinued.

WA 4 AA1Oxx "a 4Ak
CHAPTER Ix-continued.
All the evening was watching and |
listening with her eyes and her ears
everything he did, everything he said.
I 80 wanted Mother to like him! so
wanted Mother to see how really fine |
and splendid and noble he was. But
that eyening-Why couldn't he stop
talking about the prizes he'd won,
and the big racing car he'd just Or
dered for next summer? There was
nothing fine and splendlG and noble
always so dirty7
Why, Mother would think
Mother did not stay in the room all
the time; but she was in more or less
often to watch the game, and at half
past nine she brought In some little
cakes and lemonade as surprise. l
thought it was lovely; but 1 could
have shaken Paul when he pretended
to be afraid Of It, and asked Mother
If there was stick in 1t.
The idea-Mother! A stick!
I just knew Mother wouldn't like
that. But If she didn't, she never
showed thing in her face. She just
smiled, and said no, there wasn't any
stick in it; and passed the cakes.
When he had gone remember
didn't like to meet Mothers eyes, and
didn't ask her how she liked Paul
Mayhem. kept right on talking fast
about something else. Some way,
didn't want Mother to talk then, for
fear of what she would say.
And Mother didn't say anything
about Paul Mayhew-then. But only
few days later she told me to In
vite him again to the house (this time
to chafing-dish supper), and to ask
Carrie Haywood and Fred Small, too.
We had beautiful time, only again
Paul Mayhem didn't "show off" at all
In the way wanted him to-though
he most emphatically Showed OFF, in
bis way! 1t seemed to me that he
Dragged even more about himself and
his belongings than he had before.
ate his food. Why, Father didn't eat
like that-with such noisy mouth,
and such rattling of the silverware!
And so 1t went-wise mother that
she was! Far from prohibiting me to
have anything to do with Paul May
hew, she let me see all wanted to
of him, particularly in my own home.
She let me go out with him, properly
chaperoned, and she never, by word
or manner, hinted that she didn't ad-
mire his conceit and braggadocio.
And it all came out exactly as l
suspect she had planned from the be-
ginning. When Paul Mayhem asked to
be my escort to the class reception In
June, I declined with thanks, and i'm
mediately afterward told Fred Small
/ would go with him. But even when
told Mother nonchalantly, and with
carefully averted eyes, that was 60
ing to the reception with Fred Small
even then her pleasant "Well, that's
good!" conveyed only CHEEKY mother
interest; nor did hasty glance into
her face discover so much as lifted
eyebrow to hint, II thought you'd
come to your senses sometime!"
In the days and weeks that followed
(though nothing was said) 1 detected
q subtle change in certain matters,
however. And as l look back at it
now, am sure can trace it's origin to
my "affair" with Paul Mayhem. Evi-
IDENTIFY Mother had no intention of run
ming the risk of any more courtships;
also evidently she intended to know
who my friends were. At all events
the old Anderson mansion soon be-
came the rendezvous of all the boys
and girls of my acquaintance. And
such good times as we had, with
Mother always one of us, and ever pro-
posing something new and interesting!
And because boys-not boy, but
boys-were as free to come to the
house as were girls, they soon seemed
to me as commonplace and matter-of-
course and free from sentimental in
terest as were the girls.
Again, wise little mother!
But, of course, even this did not
prevent my falling in love with some
one older than myself, some one quite
outside Of my own circle of intimates
Ny especial attack of this kind
came to me when 1 was barely eigh-
teen, the spring l was being gradu-
ated from the Andersonville High
school. And the visible embodiment
of my alteration was the head master,
Mr.. Harold Hartshorn, a handsome,
clean-shavel,, well-set-up man of Il
should judge) thirty-dve years of age,
rather grave, little stern, and very
dignified.
But how adored him! How hung
upon his every word, his every glance!
How l unanswered to win from him a
few minutes conversation on Latin
verb or French translation! How L
thrilled if he bestowed upon me one
of his infrequent smiles! How
grieyed over his stern alOOfneSs!
BY the end of a month had evolved
this: his stern nloofness meant that
>A.,.1 g., l,,,..,