The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1922-01-12
By
Booth
Harrington
Copyright, 1921
by the Bell syndicate, Inc.


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 fiappin' over
there and goes TO screechin' around.
you could hear her out at poorhouse
farm -
Now. now. Herbert" his Aunt Fan
ny interpOsed Poor little Florence
isn't saying anything impolite 10 you
not right now, at any rate. Why don't
YOU bt little sweet TO her just for
Oncc?"
Her unfortunate expression revolfed
all the cousinly manlinesS in Herbert's
BOSOM. 3" BE little sweet 10 herT
he echoed. with poignant incredulity,
and then in candOr made plain how
poorly Aunt Fanny inspired him. 81
just eXackly as soon be little sweet
to I'M alligator" he asserted such
was his bitterness on this subject.
'Oh. oh - said Aunt Carrie.
II would :" Herbert insisted "Or
mosquito I'd rather, to either of
EN-, because. anyway, they don't make
so much noise. Why. you just 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' tc do our work in, anyway. some
peace. Why. she just squawks and
squalls and Squ-"
'It must be terrible" Uncle Joseph
interrupted. "What do you do all that
for. Florence. every afternoOnY'
"Just for exercise" she answered
dreamily; and her placidity the more
eXasperated her journalist cousin.
"She does 1t because she thinks she
ought to he runnin our own news
paper. my and Henry's: that's why
she does il, 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
is, 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 i'm ii, 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 i'm ii of some sort. Then
everything would be all right
at would?" he demanded, his voice
cracking naturally, at his age, but also
under strain of the protest lie wished
it to express. 1T woo-wul? oh. my
goodness, Aunt Fanny, | 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 ~
ooh, oh ~ both Aunt Fanny and
Aunt Carrie exclaimed, shocked.
ave wouldn't" Herbert insisted. "a
horse would know any amount more
how TO run newspaper than she does;
anyway. Il 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 single thing to do with our
newspaper. If 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
again ~
Florence looked at him demurely.
care you sure, Herbert" she in
CURED
"Just you try it," he advised, with
heartiest sarcasm; and he laughed
tauntingly. "Just come around to-
morrow and try it, that's all | ask y
81 cert'nly intend TO-" she responded
with dignity. 81 may have slight
surprise for YOU"
"Oh. Florence. say not so! Say not
so. Florence! Say not sou
At this she looked full upon him,
and already she had something in the
nature Of surprise for him: for so
powerful was the still balefulness Of
her glance he was slightly startled
II might say not So she said-"if
was speaking of what pretty eyes YOU
know you have. Herbert"
II staggered him. "What-what--
YOU mean?'