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About The advocate. (Portland, Or.) 19??-19?? | View Entire Issue (June 1, 1929)
Il .LUSTRA TK P Junr 1, 1929. FEA TU RE 7 SK< TION T h e U nknow n Q uantity ll c r c is u T e m le r. y e t E x c itin g S to r y W it l i n ('U m a x I h a t llo h ls ) o n llre n tlile s s .-— a I r n l l i f n l A c c o u n t o f O n e tw irl's D a n g e ro u s A tte m p t to I t e r o ll A g a in s t (h it- w o r n ('.on ce n t it m s. A V E J»ml g«'iit»*«'l' with »km like g»il»b «n sunshin«' Mini hnir nf flmny black ness that lay in soft wax a» above a forehead a» »mouth a» a woman’», that xxa» Walter a» I »aw him I xx a.» crossing the first, park on my way home front h i K h school. It xx a» a warm al tei noon in early May. The passion ot spring xxa» in my blood anil in the air. 1 want- ed to loiter hut I knew that I dared not. Mother xx as ad a ma nt xx hen It rami' to the matter of my getting home on tune from »ehm I. Al- reaily I had used up almost » ♦ ♦ever wanted to say anything in my whole life, but— there wa* mother to think about-*- mother xx as so - so— un reasonable. Her r otion of young people’s behavior was terribly old an«! silly. Yet— I didn’t ilare question her au thority. I wasn't exactly afraid of mother; she ha»i al- xvays been sxveet and gentle with me but als»j she had 't!- xx ays been stern and her an- ; ger xvas not to be ruthlessly ¡dared when once that stern ness was aroused. Billy, too, he won Id wait on us if I went in there for a soda or any thing else and Billy xvould he sure to tell mother if ! came in with a stranger. Mother liked Billy and he would just naturally think that this god like being was a friend of of ours. He would never un- derstand that ju*t meeting a man ill the park was suffi cient introduction for a girl jto go to lunch with him. Sin; MKKTS A s t i u !N<; ki < all my margin of minute» out 1(1 the t wenty which. to be perfectly fair about it. xx as a mp l y sufficient to xxalk the mix bloek» between my home and the school. "I be(f your p a r d o n ? ” A thrill ran through my whole The stranger seemed to sense my tensed young body as the dilemma. His tones were soothing handsome str anger rose with ly understanding when he six-ke an el aborate bow I paused without waiting lor a reply involuntarily on the narrow | "X think I understand." he said, bridle path in front of him. "Your mother, probably, or year friends might not understand that l i e smiled at me I thought it our meeting was purely casual and the most winning smile the wholly innocent. Well, some other lips of man had ever pro time, after we know each other bet duced. Hot blood mantled ter. I hop«- we SHALL know each my brown cheeks a n rl other better—soon. There was some coursed through my veins thing thrilhngly suggestive of the like lambent flame. I could ' romance that I had so long .yearned not speak. My emotions held for In his voice on the last word. me dumb. Only a tremulous I blushed and tried to smile back little smile quivered on my at him. Hut my heart sank. I knew lips and in my eyes. I xx as that mother would never understand if I seemed sociable to him. Always so impressed by the romance mother suid that leisure and charm o f the chance meeting that I and soft hands among the young men did not stop to think of tile whom I might know intimately were »lunger of what often befalls signs of standards that were not y ou ng Kiris at the hands of exactly respectable "When you see strnnKc men. a man able to stand on the corner I felt his dark eyes seau- dressed up in the middle of the day, liiiiK inv round x o i i i i k body. week in and week out. with nothing It was almost as if 1 stood to do but look pretty and flirt with the women and girls, there's a screw naked before him. Soft loose somewhere," she would say with thoiiKh his eyes seemed, yet the utmost sincerity, when we were there xx as somethiliK so keen-| on our frequent shopping trips into l.x penetratiiiK in the quality| the city to which our little town was o f his g a z e that they seemed Hut next words were ua<- *n answer my — Intentions. You see. I realize, that you must be a suburb. So I could only smile dry p ravel. to strip my flimsy Karments germed to mr careful. All young girls must be careful of strangers.' ly and hope that Fate would take a "All, I knew he was a gentleman ’ I thought to "ISt you ever go to the city alone? 1 would llkr to from me as they travelled Photograph by Paul Henderson hand in my affairs. have you nirct some of nix frlrnd.x who would xoueh for myself. leisurely from my flushed His next words were like an an face d own throiiKh the trans- swer to prayer, it -emed to me. Do parenc.v of my chiffon blouse largely nocturnal so the;-»thought of hunger in connec-^grade school, the year after . vou ever go to the city, alone? X over my youn g adolescent slept in the day. For thejtion with such a perfect be- the measles had kept him out would llkr to have you meet some of torso. The casual but thor- rest we who lived in the town ing. of school for almost a whole • my friends there who would vouch or l mv—intentions. You see I realize* ouk I i scrutiny over lit took proper knew very little about I "There is the bakery, year, until he finished high that you must be car ful. All young only a bri ef instant for the them and so long as they kept said hastily ashamed of the school. Even now I saw him girls should be careful of strangers.-' whole thiiiK t h o i i K h it takes I knew he was a gentleman. • their nefarious business and 1 shortcomings of my home almost every day. Every I "Ah! many wor ds to tell o f it) he thought to myself. No matter unwholesome selves to them town. “They serve ice-cream body in Oakdale teased tis what mother thought of Idling young went on speaking. "Could you direct me to a selves the respectable fam good restaurant?” his voice ilies of Oakdale paid them was soft ami musical. It beat very little attention. So it against my heart strings and seemed perfectly natural that set them throbbing to the this dazzling stranger should tune of the sunlight and ro accost me for information. mance of spring. "1 am a| “You can get meals at the stranger in your little city.” hotel,” I ventured timidly. “ Yes, I know,” he smiled He paused, waiting, the in toxicating smile still on his again, indulgently it seemed to me. "Hut I thought maybe lips. The park was deserted but there w as a restaurant where for him and me. In Oakdale I might get a lunch between there was no one to lounge in hours. You know they only the park at three o'clock in serve meals at the hotel at the afternoon. Everybody regular meal hours. I will was busy but the people have to wait almost two hours down on the river flats and till five o'clock and I am they never came up to the rather hungry.” park. Their business was Hunger? I had never this one was nice and luvnn- sodas and things like that at about each other. But— that sheiks less I fancied I had at last found the bakery. And you can get j xvas just a joke. Billy wasn't what every girl wishes—her ideal. never have," I said. In answer to nice lunches from the delica-ifi bit good looking. He was his " I low question, "but some tessen. They are both in the ¡nice enough though, and times on voiced Saturdays parties of young same building over there.” I [everybody liked him. How- folks among lux go in for a show or just for sight-seeing I might meet pointed across the park to the ever I was like the most girls you and your friends at such a corner of Main anti Broad'I wanted a handsome prince time." "That would be Just fine." he ex streets. A very large and — almost without regard for claimed. "Meanwhile"—we were al distinct sign boldly broadcast who or what he was. most in front of the bakery. I could see the name “William Bates and “Why, that's just fine,” he Billy's brown face and busy brown as he leaned across the coun Son— Bakery and Delicates- hesitated for a breath and his hands ter to wrap some articles for a wait sen." eyes flashed a quick look ing customer I drew back so that 1 passed it every »lay to over my face, "Wouldn’t you a lamp post hid me from anv chance if lie should turn his face to an«i from school. Billy had like to have an ice cream soda glance the window. The street was clear graduated only the year be with me?” at the moment. Crossing the park trees and shrubs had hid us fore. I was two years be I choke»! an»! stammered the from view of chance passers. I was hind Billy in school although over my reply. A sudden i not anxious to have the news of the he was four years ohter. He panic of indecision gripped stroll across the park coming to the of my mother. But I turned an use«! to carry my books for my confuse«! senses. I want cars eager gaze up to the handsome fag« me from the time I start«*«! to ed to say yes more than I had lOnflnnr«? e»> page eight) !