A Boy's Story

How l loved that girl - that Melvina Jacksonl It was a case of love at first sight. 1 threw a paper wad at a redheaded boy in school, and the teacher made me Rit vrith Melvina Jackson as a punishment. In after years 1 saw that she had a turn up nose, a freckled face, a cast in her left eyo and a mouth like a inilkpan. but at that period I looked on her as a champion beauty, l didn't lose five minutes' timo telling ïny feelings of adulation and admiration, but the most she would say was that she would ride down hill on my hand sled, bonrow my geography in preference to any other and allow me to sharpen her slate pencil and lick the boys who enowballed her after school. Thus we loved and loved, or at least I did. Therecame a time when I could look back and see where Melvina was cool, calculating and level headed - where her love stopped dead short and business began, but I was blind then. A year passed by bef ore a rival entered the field. We had our spats. There were occasions when we made up faces at each other across the schoolroom; when she turued from me and let another boy wash her slate; when I was glad that she left off at the foot of the spelling class; when I added up 9 and 8 on the blackboard and made 15, and she giggled and was rejoiced. On the whole, however, we were happy. 1 licked 14 different boys for her direct benefit that year, and her per cent in geography was the highest of any girl in the school. We were engaged- that is, I had asked Melvina about half atnülion times if sho would have me, and she had always replied that she guessed she would if the hogs didn't get in and root up the garden or some other awfnl calamity occur. My rival was a callow youth named Saín Greene. Somethinc warned me of peril the minute I set eyes on him, but an hour later, when I heard that he could write poetry, I realized that it would be a fight to the death. Sam went straight to work to unhorse me. At the forenoon recess he presen ted Melvina Jackson with a lead pencil and a slate sponge, and she smiled sweetly as she accepted them. I wrote her a note meant to annihilate her, but she read it with her mouth full of apple and didn't scare worth a cent. Long enough before noon I had determined to lick Sam Greene. A licked boy goes right out of the rival business and doesn't bother any more. If Melvina had melted a little and assured me of her fealty, 1 might have changed my mind, but she didn't melt. She even went so far as to whisper to a girl who would whisper it to me that Sam Greene had dreamy eyes and a nose like Cicero. Aftar thut my resolution was unshakable. My callow rival had to be fore he would fight, but when we got at I it he proved to be a sterling antagonist ! For a luug time victory wavered in the balance, and then I won by a scratch. His bair was liis tender point, and when 1 got hold with both hands he gave in. For a week Melvina placed me on a pedestal and almost agreed to elope. Then Sam Greene sent her a piece of poetry entitled "The Maiden's Heart," and I lost my grip again. The only thing to be dono was to lick him again, but he had had his hair shir.gled in the ïneantime, and the conflict did not termínate to my satisfaction. Some of the boys said 1 "hollered," and others said 1 licked, and it was an open question as to who won. He went right homo and wrote another piece of poetry entitled "She Died at Sunset," and Ishould have been a goner but for Providence. I was hanging around Mr. Jackson's housa in the evening, hoping to at least see Melrina's shadow on the kitchen window curtain, when I discovered that the emokehouse was on fire. I heroically quenched the flames, Irarned my left heel and saveil seven hams from an inglorious fate. That was raore than an offset for "She Died at Sunset," and foi i weeks I waa a happy youth. I inust credit Sam with goiag over and helping Mrs. Jackson toniake soft 6oap aud with painting the well curb red. white and i blue at lúa own expense, but Melvina i only treated him as a brother. Ago carne creeping over me as time passed on, and uiy sixteenth birthday ! arrived. It was ushered in by Melvina : presenting me with a l.Vcent Testament, and it was ushered out by my giving Sam Greene the awfullest licking a hyena of a boy ever received. One of his Ieg9 slipped luto a posthole during our struggle, and tlien I liad him. This was only a week beforo the Fourth of July, and there was also to be a circus in town that day. ín that fight, as 1 was rejoiced to hear, Sam lost 9 cents in cash ont of one of his pockets, and I fondly hoped ho would be financially paralj-zed on the glorious Fourth. Alas, for my hopesl His mother permitted him to sell two oíd flatirons and a dozen eggs, and he wa3 maile financially stronger than before. Neither of us dared ask the fair Malvina to accompany na to the celebration. Wo hadn't the ago nor the backing. Our attentions would come in after ehe reached town in her father's lumber wagon. I liad licked Sam Greene again. but he was not discouraged. When the glorious day arrived, I had a cash capital of 27 cents. In firing the sunrise salute theanvil burst, and one of i the pieces struck our hencoop. That would have made me a hero in Melvina's eyes, but thatornery Sam Greene managed to burn a holo in his vest exactly over his heart with a firecracker, and that dished me. Wo had a fight over it, but it resulted in a draw. Sam j offered Melvina the first 'lasses candy, but 1 carne in a good second with real pink lemonade. I think he discovered the circus procession before 1 did, but 1 waa the first to cali attention to a serpent 20 feet long painted on tho canvas of a sideshow at the circus. It was which and t'other until I got a plan to ruin Sam. 1 encouraged bim to take Melvina in to behold the wild man of Borneo, while I remained an outsider. He feil into the trap and carne out dead broke, while I still had 18 cents capital. As my dear one and I sat under one of the circus wagons that afternoon eating gingerbread and living for each other alone, while Sam was trying to regain his lost prestige by turning handsprings a few yards away, I remember that I appealed to Melvina to fly with me. She said she was too fat to fly, and I had to struggle with my disappointment. She promised on her solemn honor, however, to die the same night 1 did in case we both had bilious fever, and I was quite satisfied. When the shades of night began to fall, Sam Greene was a doomed boy. Poetry couldn't save him. He made a raise of 3 cents 'somehow and bought an orange and offered Melvina all the peeling and half the fruit, but she turned away in disdain. There were to be fireworks in the j ing on a vacant lot not far from the circus tent. The people were not disappointed. 1 had a front seat with Melvina on the grass, with the callow and hollow hearted Sam Greene as near as he could get to us. The fireworks were loosely piled under tho stand. The first rocket had been fired when Sam dug his toe into my back. I resented the Bault, and a ecrap was the consequence. It wasn't over half a minute when we rolled among the fireworks, and Boniething broke loose. Ten seconds later candles, rockets, bombs, pinwheels, serpent and all 6orts of zigzag things wero scooting about in the crowd. Melvina's father had just got hold of Sam and 1 and burnped our heal8 together I with a "Thar, by gosh!" when a rocket Btruckhim on the lowervest button, and he laid down. In the wild break the crowd walked all over each other, and half a dozen farmers' teams ran away. The circus performance had just cominenced, but a dozen rockets banged the old tent, set it on fire in as many places, and everybodv had to turn toandfight the flames. Next day it was tigured that 40 people had been hurt and damage done to the amount of $2,000. Sam Greeno lost an eye and had an ear almost torn off, while I had my nose broken and all my front teeth knocked out, and on top of that came an old faahioneü home licking which kept us in bed tor a week. Sam and 1 got outdoors the same day. Animal magnetism drew us toward each other. From f orce of habit we got ready for a conflict, but no conflict occurred. "You kin hev her allto yourself," said Sam as we faced each ether. "So kin you!" "I don't want herí" "Neither do Í!" "Are you mad?" "No." "Thea I hain't." Neither of us ever looked at Melvina Jackson again. The candle of love had burned down to the socket and died out with a fizz - bang!