The St. Johns herald., 1922-07-20

petitions, and he had to content him. self with cheering instead of getting cheered. He was by no manner of means athletic, or enough of anything else, to put Dora Yocum in her place, and so he and the great opportunity were still waiting in May, at the end of the second year of high school, when the class, now the TO A." revert ed to an old fashion and decided to entertain Itself with a woodland pic nic.
 They gathered upon the sandy banks of creek in the blue shade of big, patchy-barked sycamores, with a danc- ing sky on top of everything and gold dust atwinkle over the water. Hither the napkin-covered baskets were brought from the wagons and assem- bled in the shade, where they ap- peared as an attractive little meadow of white napery, and gave both sur prise and pleasure to communities of ants and to other original settlers of the neighborhood.
 From this nucleus or headQuarters of the picnic, various expeditions set forth up and down the creek and through the woods that bordered it. Two envied boy fishermen established themselves upon a bank upstream, with hooks and lines thoughtfulIy brought with them, and poles which they fashioned from young saplings. They took mussels from the shallows, for bait, and having gone to all this trouble, declined to share with friends less energetic and prOvident the per quisites and pleasures secured to themselves.
 Albert Paxton was one person who proved his enterprise. Having wis., ited the spot some days before, he had hired for his exclusive use throughout the duration of the picnic an old row boat belonging to a shanty squatter; 1t was the only rowboat within a mile or two and Albert had his own uses for it. Albert was the class lover and, after first taking the three chaperon teachers "out for a row." an excursion concluded in about ten minutes, he dis embarked them; Sadie Clews stepped into the boat, a pocket camera in one hand, tennis racket in the other; and the two spent the rest of the day, ex- cept for the luncheon interval, solemn ly drifting along the banks or ground ed on a shOal. Now and then Albert would row few strokes, and at al- most any time when the populated shore glanced toward them, Sadie would be seen phOtographing Albert, or Albert would be seen photograph ing Sadie, but the tennis racket re- mained an enigma. They were six teen, and had been engaged" more than two years.
 On the borders of the little meadow of baskets there had been deposited two black shapes, which remained un- disturbed throughout the day, closed guitar case and a closed mandolin case, no doubt containing each Its proper instrument So far as any use of these went they seemed to be of the same leisure class to which Sadie's tennis racket belonged, for when one of the teachers suggested music, the musicians proved shy. Wesley Ben der said they hadn't learned to play anything much and, besides, he had a couple O broken strings he didn't know as he could fix up; and Ramsey said he guessed 1t seemed kind O too hot to play much. Joining friends, they Or- ganized a contest in craftsmanship, the target being floating can which they assailed with pebbles; and after that they skipped" flat stones upon the surface of the water, then went to