The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1922-07-13
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ELEANOR II. PORTER
ILLUSTRATIONS BY
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~ Ycopyrisht by ELEANOR H. PORTER)
HIUSTRATIONSBY
RH.UVINGSTONE.
icopyrisht by ELEANOR H. PORTER)

school, and how all the girls were just
crazy to be asked to go anywhere
with him; and I argued what if Faith
er had seen him with boys he did not
like-then that was all the more rea-
son why nice girls like me, when he
asked them. should 60 with him, so as
to keep him away from bad boys. And
reminded them again that he was
the very handsomest, most popular
boy In school: and that there wasn't
a girl l knew who wouldn't be crazy
70 be In my shoes.
Then I stopped. all out Of breath.
and l can imagine just how pleading
and palpitating looked.
I thought Father was going to re-
fuse right away, but I saw the glance
that Mother threw him-the glance
that said, LET me attend to this.
dear" I'd seen that glance before,
several times, and I knew just what
1t meant: so wasn't surprised to see
Father shrug his shoulders anu turn
away a. .hother said to me:
every we'll. dear. I'll think 1t over
and let you know tonight"
But I was surprised that night to
have Mother say I could go, for I'd
about given up hope, after all that
talk at the breakfast table. And she
said something else that surprised me,
too. She said she'd like TO know Paul
Mayhem herself; that she always
wanted to know the friends of her
little girl. And she told me to ask
him to call the next evening and play
checkers or chess with me.
Happy? I could scarcely contain
myself for JOY. And when the next
evening came, bringing Paul, and
Mother, all prettily dressed as If he
were really, truly company, came into
the room and talked so beautifully to
him, I was even more entranced. To
be sure, it did bother me little that
Paul laughed so much, and 50 loudly,
and that he couldn't seem to find any
thing to talk about only himself, and
what he was doing, and what he was
going to do. Some way, he had never
seemed like that at school. And I
was afraid Mother wouldn't like that.
All the evening I was watching and
listening with her eyes and her ears
everything he did, everything he said.
l so wanted Mother to like him! so
wanted Mother to see how really fine
and splendid and noble he was. But
that evening-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 splendid and noble
about that. And were his finger nails
always so dirty?
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. I
thought it was lovely; but could
have shaken Paur when he pretended
to be afraid Of it, and asked Mother
If there was a stick in it.
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 I remember I
didn't like to meet Mothers eyes, and
I didn't ask her how she liked Paul
Mayhem. I kept right on talking fast
about something else. Some way, I
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 a
few days later she told me to In
vite him again to the house (this time
to a chafing-dish supper), and to ask
Carrie Haywood and Fred Small, too.
We had a beautiful time, only again
Paul Mayhem didn't "show off" at all
in the waylI wanted him to-though
he most emphatically showed off, in
his way! It seemed to me that he
Dragged even more about himself and
his belongings than he had before.
And I didn't like at all the way he
ate his food. Why. Father didn't eat
like that-with such a noisy mouth,
and such rattling of the silverware! !!
And so it went-wise mother that
she was! Far from prohibiting me to
have anything to do with Paul May
hew, she let me see all I 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
suspect she had planned from the be-
ginning. When Paul Mayhew asked to
be my escort to the class reception in
June, I declined with thanks. and i'm
mediately afterward told Fred Small
would 60 with him. But even when
I told Mother nonchalantly. and with
carefully averted eyes, that I was go
ing to the reception with Fred Small