The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1922-03-17
CHAPTER vI.-continued.
g.

D.
Milla hung weightily upon, his arm,
and they dawdled, drifting from one
side of the pavement to the other as
they slowly advanced. Albert and Sa-
die, ahead Of them, called "good night
from corner, before turning down the
side street where Sadie lived; and
then, presently, Ramsey and Milla
were at the latter's gate. He went in
with her, hating at the front steps.
"eWell, g'night, Milla," he said.
"Want to go out walking tomorrow
night? Albert and Sadie are"
II can't tomorrow night" she told
him with obvious regret. isn't it the
worst luck! Igot an aunt comm to
visit from Chicago, and she's crazy
about playing Five Hundred and
mama and papa said hat to stay in
to make four to play it. She's liable
to be here three or four days, and I
guess got to be around home pretty
much all the time she's here. It's the
worst luck!"
He was doleful, but ventured to be
literary. "Well, what can't be helped
must be endured. I'll come around
when she's gone"
He moved as if to depart, but she
still retained his arm and did not pre-
pare to relinquish it.
"Well-" he said.
swell what, Ramsey"
''Well-g'night."
She glanced up at the dark front
of the house. II guess the family's
gone to bed,' she said absently.
II s'pose So"
swell, good night, Ramsey" She
said this, but still did not release his
arm, and suddenly, in fluster, he felt
that the time he dreaded had come.
Somehow, without knowing where, ex-
cept that 1t was somewhere upon what
seemed to be blurred face too full
She turned instantly away in the
darkness, her hands over her cheeks;
and in panic Ramsey wondered If he
hadn't make dreadful mistake.
''S'cuse mel" he said, stumbling to-
ward the gate. "Well, guess got
" OC ACtLAA ulOAS O0Nh AOAAOs
He woke in the morning to a great
self-lOathiSg; he had kissed a girl
Mingled with the loathing was curl
GUS pride in the very fact that caused
the loathing, but the pride did not last
long. He came downstairs morbid to
breakfast, and continued this mood
afterward. At noon Albert Paxton
brought him note which Milla had
asked Sadie to ask Albert to give him.
"Dearie: am just wondering If
you thought as much about something
so sweet that happened last night as
I did you know what. I think 1t was
the sweetest thing. send you one
with this note and hope you will
think it is sweet one. would give
you a real one if you were here now
and i hope you would think 1t was
sweeter still than the one ! put in this
note. It is the sweetest thing now you
are mine and am yours forever kiddo.
If you come around about friday eve
it will be all right. aunt Jess will be
gone back home by then so come early
and we will get SADIE and Alb to go to
the band Concert. Don't forget what
I said about my putting something
sweet in this note, and hope you will
thiAk 1t is a sweet one but not as
sweet as the real sweet one would
like to-
At this point Ramsey impulsively
tore the note into small pieces. He
turned cold as his Imagination pro-
jected sketch Of his mother in the
act of reading this missive, and of
her expression as she read the SEN
tence: ut is the sweetest thing now
you are mine and 1 am yours forever
kiddo." He wished that Milla hadn't
written tkiddo." She called him that,
sometimes. but In her warm little voice
the word seemed not at all what it did