Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-03-02
SHORT SHORT
STORY
Complete in This Issue


Barry lived in one of the five white
farm houses that made up the ham,
let of Ste Stephanie and Marcia had
been warned against him by her
grandparents.
at certainly does" agreed Mar
cia, amiably, but not for worlds
would she have disclosed the horrid
fascination h o S e unbelievably
smooth declivities had for her.
Barry had rather fallen in love
with Marcia at sight and was trying
to fall out again because it was evil
dent on the face of it that he was a
poor sort of fellow for a girl like
her.
Three days after this converse
ton, Marcia, in hunting for a lost
slipper in her trunk, came upon her
bathing suit.
She pulled it out and shook it. Then
she went to the top of the narrow
flight of stairs.
"Oh, grandmother! Is there any
place where one could go swim
ming?"
After a moment, her grandmoth-
er's voice came back doubtfully,
why, don't know. There's pool
down at the bend that the boys used
to use. Kind of shallow now, sup
pose"
Barry saw her 60 by his gate
and guessed her destination from a
pair of gay red rubber bathing shoes
protruding from her coat pocket.
He started up, then sat back again
and slowly refilled his pipe. For
some time he sat smoking and
thinking.
If only Marcia had been just an
ordinary girl with no maternal rela-
tives in Back Bay, no Radcliffe di-
ploma, no Cambridge accent, he
would have felt more like going to
her and saying, Darling, I'm a
poor devil of writer who threw up
a job as reporter to 60 off by my
self and write a book l was born
in Pawtucket and l don't know the
Common from Cops Hill burying
ground But l love you and will
work my fool head off to keep the
wolf from the door!"
Grabbing his hat and apology for
proper walking stick-an old
length of what had once been a
gate rail-he set forth along the
dusty gravel road that skirted the
river.
At THE turn of the road the pool
made by the widening of the river
became visible, but in its depths no
bright head was visible.
Suddenly his face blanched.
Help! Help!"
He broke into run. Yes, the
cry had come from Marcia. Half
way down the bank at the spot
where it was steepest she could be
seen in condition that to any but
a lover might have been unrecog-
nizable. Petitcodiac mud coated her
from head to foot
Barry could see where she had to-
bogganed down by long slide marks
Halfway, she had sunk into the brown
ooze and her struggles had only servec
to submerge her still more. Terrified
she had cried for help.
Gingerly, lest he make matter.
worse, by inviting similar predica.
ment for himself, Barry stepped t.
the edge, then down a foot or two
and extended his stick.
"Grab it," he ordered. "Now hole
it while 1 pull" The whole banl
quivered and Barry went in halfway
to his knees. Splashes of mud wen
over him. Then the smeared anc
trembling Marcia was hauled to safe.
ty beside him.
"Poor child!" he said, kindly. "Bu
how did it happen?"
Marcia gulped. "I-I did it or
purpose" she said sheepishly.
Barry just looked at her. Marcia
Makepeace of Boston sliding dowr
into primeval ooze for the fun of it
"Oh, my dear, my dear!" was al
he could say for a moment. Then
taking her in his arms, mud and all
he enlarged upon that theme unit
Marcia had indeed promised to be-
copoe his dear