The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1922-02-10


srilI retained his arm and did not pre-
pare TO relinquish IL.
"Well--'' he said.
"well what Ramsey?"
"Wel'-gnight."
She glanced up at the dark front
of the house. Il guess the family's
gone to bed" she said absently.
II srpose So
well. good night. Ramsey" She
said this. but still did not release his
arm, and suddenly. in fiuster. he felt
that the time he dreaded had come.
Somehow, without knowing where ex-
cept that il was somewhere upon what
seemed to be blurred face too full
of obstructing features. he kissed her.
She turned instantly away in the
darkness. her hands over her cheeks
and i'm a panic Ramsey wondered If he
hadn't make dreadful mistake.
"S'cuse me- he said, stumbling to-
ward the gate well. l guess | got
to he settin' along back home"
He woke in the morning To a great
self-loathi.y he had kissed girl
Mingled with the loathing was Il 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 mad
asked Sadie Ia ask Albert to give him,
"Dearie: am just wondering if
you Thought as much about something
So sweet that happened last night rs
| did you know what. | think ii was
the sweetest thing. | send you one
with this note and | hope you will
think Il is sweet one. ! would give
You real one if you were here now
and | hope you would think II was
sweeter still than the one | put in this
note. II is the sweetest thing now you
are mine and ! am yours forever kiddo.
If you come around about friday eve
IL will be all right. aunt Jess will he
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
| said about my putting something
sweet in this note, and hope YOU will
sweet as the real sweet one | would
like to-
At this point Ramsey impulslvely
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: 1T is the sweetest thing now
You are mine and am yours forever
kiddo." He wished that Milla hadn't
written "kiddo." She called him that.
sometimes. but in her warm little voice
the word seemed not at all what it did
in ink. He wished, TOO, that she hadn't
said she was his forever
Suddenly he was seized with a hor
ror of her.
Moisture broke out heavily upon
him; he felt definite sickness. and,
wishing for death, went forth upon the
streets ~ walk and walk. He cared
not whittier. so that his feet took him
in any direction away from Milla,
since they were unable to take him
away from himse!f-of whom he had
as great a horror. Her loving face was
continually before him. and its sweet
ness made his flesh creep. Mila had
been too sweet.
When he met or passed people. il
seemed to him that perhaps they We're
able to recognize upon him somewhere
the marks of his low quality
''SOfty! Ole sloppy fool!' he NUT
tered. addressing himself 'Slushy
ole mush Spooner"' And
he added, Yours forever, kiddo!"
Commissions seemed about to SEIZE
him.
Turning corner with his head
down. he almost charged into Dora
YOcum. She was hOmeward bound
from piano lesson, and carried a
rolled leather case of sheet music
something he couldn't imagine AIilla
-carrying-and in her young girls
dress. which attempted to be nothing
else, she looked as wholesome as cold
spring water. Ramsey had always felt
. that she despised him and now. all at
once. he thought that she was justified.
Leper that he had become. he was un-
worthy 10 be even touching his cap TO
her. And as she nodded and went
briskly on, he would have given any
thing 10 turn and walk a little way
with her, for il seemed to him that this
might fumigate his morals. But he
lacked the courage. and. besides. he
considered himself unfit to be seen
walking with her.
He had long afternoon of an
guishes. these becoming most violent
when he tried TO face the problem Of
his future course toward Milla. He
did not face il at all, in fact. but mere
ly writhed. and had evolved nothing
when Friday evening was upon him
and Milla waiting for him to take her
to the band concert" with Alb and
SADIE He made shift to seek Il short
interview with Albert, just before din
ner.
Il got pretty rotten headache. and
my stOmach's upset, too" he said,
dropping upon the Paxtons' fence 81
been gettin' worse every minute You
and Sadie so by Milla's, Albert. and
tell her If I'm not there by ha pas
seven. tell her not TO wait for Inc any
longer"
How do YOU mean waltz" Albert
inquired. You don't expect her to
come pokin' along with Sadie and .me.
do you? She'll keep on sittin' there at
home just the same, because she
wouldn't have anything else TO do. if
you don't come like she expects you TO.
She hasn't got any way to stop wait
in'!
AT this. Ramsey mOaned, without af-
fectation. Il don't expect | can. AL
bert" he said. I'D like to If could
but the way it looks now, YOU tell her
/ wouldn't be much surprised nlaVbe