Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1909 — A VERY "YOUNG CASE. [ARTICLE]

A VERY "YOUNG CASE.

J - A young couple just out of childhobd in' a garden, he sitting on a rustic bench, she lounging in a hammock. The flowers are in bloom, the air is balmy, the sky a beautiful blue —just the surroundings for flirting. Flirting is not a good word, especially in the case of a man. but there Is d distinction between it and courting, ft is a lighter grade of the same article, jhst as claret differs from burgundy. "Do you know/’ he said, “that I’ve had some success lately in mind reading?’’ “Well, last evening I was calling at the Harrisonß, and we all got to talking about mind reading. It was proposed that we each in turn try what we could do. When it came my turn I made some experiments with Edith —” He paused and looked at her quizzically. “Why do you look surprised?” “! didn’t know she had any mind to read.’’ "H’m! She’s very bright. I told her just what she was thinking about.” “I suppose it was something deep?” "t>h, no! Nothing of importance. Then I—” “What was it?” There was a battle of words. He strove to avoid telling her, but eventually yielded. “She was thinking of you.” “And do you consider me ‘nothing of importance?’ ” “I mean —I mean —I didn’t mean— What I intended —” “And was Edith thinking that I am nothing of importance?” “She didn’t say anything about that.” "But If you were reading her mind you must have known what she thought about me.’’ He scratched his head, then stumbled on: “Well, you see, it was like this: I was thinking about you, and, your being on my mind, maybe it was a case of transference of thought.” This was placating. A suspicion of a pleased smile stole over her lips. She didn’t speak again for a few minutes, and when she did her tone was milder. • “What were you .thinking about me?” “Oh, I don’t know. Suppose I try to mind read you?’’ “Very well.” Presently he said: “Somehow or other I feel —I think —I am impressed with the presence of a tall young man with a long neck and spindle legs. He wears glasses and has a very good opinion of himself. He’s Sam Collamore. You’re thinking about him.” “That’s not of Mr. Collamore. And I wasn’t thinking about him at all. I was thinking about you.” This was spoken with a bit of sharpness. “Do you mean that I look like Sam?”

“It’s not very polite in you to speak so of a friend of mine.’’ “You said Edith Harrison had no mind.” “And she hasn’t. But Mr. Collamore has. and he’s a fine young man. So, there! Go on mind reading, but leave out Mr. Collamore.” He resumed his position again, covering his eyes. “I see myself—myself as you see me—a. person easily deceived —just the man for a girl to make a fool of. You are thinking that' you will use me this summer, just as you used Billy Perkins last summer and Tom —” “Please drop the personalities.” “Well, that’s all. Suppose you try it on me." She placed her round white hand, with taper fingers, over her eyes in a becoming fashion and said: “You are not thinking of anybody —that is, anybody but yourself. You are thinking how when your vacation comes you go up to the ladies and find a new girl who will be silly enough to trust you implicitly—” “What’ll you be doing all that time?" “Don’t break the spell. I’m mind reading. I’m telling you what your’e thinking about. And you’ll leave her, come back here and devote yourself to—” ■ ■ ■ . “Edith Harrison?” “Do you suppose that I care how devoted you are to Edith Harrison?’* And she snapped hgy fingers viciously. “Certainly not! It is the new girl up at the lakes who was silly enough to trust me that I am speaking of." "I’ll go on with the mind reading if you like. I come back here and devote myself to a girl who doesn't care how devoted I api to another girl at the same time, and—” “I didn't say that. I —" She stopped short. “You?" “How ridiculous!" "The scene changes," he went on presently. “I’m talking about what you’re thinking about, remember. Finally it all comes out that I don’t care a rap about any of these glrjs, except one, and she doesn’t care a rap about me. But—" “Which one?*’ - He described the girl in the hammock. She listened with growing pleasure as he mentioned her .different features, prefixing “beautiful'’ to all of them till he came to her hair. “My hair Isn’t auburn. It’s—” “By Jove! There’s the clock striking 10. I'm off for practice with the team. Good-by! See you vlater." But be didn’t He saw another girL —Anna Bentley.