Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 57, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 March 1917 — The Helping Hand [ARTICLE]

The Helping Hand

“There’s your chance to rescue beauty in distress,” remarked Willoughby, as he pointed across the park where a woman motorist was wrestling with a balky car that refused to be dranked. ' “Kindly excuse me I" replied DeForest aa he lit a fresh one. “A burned child fearß the fire*” “Were you burned?" “Slightly, around the finger-tips. 1 was going south on a State street car when there entered a red-Jaced woman puffing with two baskets. She had just come back on a boat with some trophies from the Michigan fruit belt 1 volunteered to open the car window for her. 1 gave a couple of tugs, but the window wouldn’t budge. Then i tried to brace myself, and made one mighty effort, but with that my loot slipped and my knee went kerplunk right into that' basket "©Tripe plums. It had a fascinating color, deep, dark and delicious. You never saw such a shade as the knee of my’trousers immediately assumed. But it spoiled the plums. So I went away frourasr car immediately." “Reminds me of one Sunday in July,” said Willoughby, “when I took a west Bide girl out to one of the neighborhood ball games. She wore a lovely hat —roses and all that. 1 was busy trying ,to explain to her the difference between the umpire anu the center fielder, and to give her a few-pointers on base running, when all the time 1 could see tflet she was listening only with one ear. Her mind was on her hat. Eventually a red-headed batter knocked a foul ball that shot up like the price of wheat, i could see that it was coming in our direction, so I said to my companion: ’Just watch me catch If “Well, sir that thing actually did b?ad straight for us. I stood up a~ 1 got ready for It The sun wag kind of in my eyes, or something, or maybe the girl rattled me telling that she wan sure she would be knocked flat* Anyway, the ball didn’t stick to my fingers, but shot right thru them and hit the girl on her rose garden. The flowers flew in every direction and the girl began to whimper thru sheer mortification. I was advised by the fans to get a basket and to use, fly j»aper.” “Well," said DeForest, “why didn’t you?"