Sioux County pioneer., 1922-02-23

-
think we were runnin' lunatic
asylum the way she takes on. She
hollers and bellers and squalls and
squawks. The least little teeny thing
she don't like about the way we run
our paper, she comes happin' over
there and goes to screechin' around,
you could hear her out at poorhouse
farm I"
'Now, now, Herbert" his Aunt Fan
ny interposed. "Poor little Florence
isn't saying anything impolite to you
not right now, at any rate. Why don't
you be- q little sweet to her just for
| once?"
Her unfortunate expression revolted
all the cousinly manliness in Herbert's
BOSOM. Be little sweet to herr"
he echoed, with poignant incredulity,
and then in candor made plain how
poorly Aunt Fanny inspired him. II
just exackly as soon be little sweet
to an alligator" he asserted; such
was his bitterness on this subject.
"Oh. oh r. said Aunt Carrie.
Il would!" Herbert insisted. "Or
a mosquito. I'd rather, to either of
'em, because, anyway, they don't make
SO much noise. Why, you-ju ought
to hear her." he went on, growing
more and more severe. "You ought
to just come around our newspaper
building any afternoon you please. af-
ter school, when Henry and / are
tryin' to do our work in, anyway, some
peace. Why, she Just squawks and
squalls and squ-'
ut must be terrible" Uncle Joseph
interrupted. "What do you do all that
for, Florence, every afternoon?''
"Just for exercise" she answered
dreamily; and her placidity the more
exasperated her journalist cousin.
"She does 1t because she thinks she
ought to be runnin' our own news
paper, my and Henry's; that's why
she does It.! She thinks she knows
more about how to run newspapers
than anybody alive; but there's one
thing she's goin' to find out; and that
lis, she don't have anything more to
do with my and Henry's newspaper.
We wouldn't have another single one
Of her ole poems in 1t, no matter how
much she offered to pay us! Uncle
Joseph, think you ought to tell her
she's got no business around my and
Henry's newspaper building
"But, Herbert" Aunt Fanny sug-
gested, "you might let Florence have
little share in it Of some sort. Then
everything would be all right"
''It would?" he demanded, his Voice
cracking naturally, at his age, but also
under strain Of the protest he wished
it to express. 1T woo-wud? Oh, my
goodness, Aunt Fanny, I guess you'd
like to see our newspaper just utter
ably ruined! Why, we wouldn't let
| that girl have any more to do with it
than we would some horse!'
"Oh, oh!" both Aunt Fanny and
Aunt Carrie exclaimed, shocked.
''We wouldn't, Herbert insisted. "A
horse would know any amount more
how to run newspaper than she does;
anyway, a horse wouldn't make so
much noise around there. Soon as
we got our printing press: we said
right then that we made up our minds
Florence Atwater wasn't ever goin' to
have a single thing to do with our
newspaper. II you let her have any,.
thing to do with anything she wants
to run the whole thing. But she might
just as well learn to stay away from
our newspaper building, because after.
we got her out yesterday we fixed a
way SOS she'll never get in there
againl" :.
Florence looked at him demurely.
"Are you sure, Herbert7" she in
quired.
"Just you try iti' he advised, with
heartiest sarcasm; and he laughed
tauntingly. "Just come around to-
morrow and try It; that's all I ask r.
II cert'nly intend to" she responded,
with dignity. II may have slight
surprise for you"
"Oh, Florence, say not so! Say not.
90. Florencel Say not SOP
l At this she looked full upon him.
and already she had something in the
nature Of a surprise for him; for SO
powerful was the still balefulness Of
her glance he was slightly startled.
II might say not 80" she said-"if I
was speaking Of what pretty eyes you
know you have. HERBERT
It staggered him. 'What-what-
you mean1
'.And ksr reply left him
paralytie With horror. s1Nallis