Sheridan High School - Bronc Yearbook (Sheridan, WY)

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THE OCKSHEPERIDA to forget that “worthless—worthless—creature!” When she went home to supper she lied cheerlessly alx ut Coney and Dick, but she did not deceive her adoring family one whit. After supper Slim stayed home and sang and played his inevitable ragtime and thus helped to while away a trying evening for Molly. Then she played checkers with her father, kissed her mother and started for l ed when Slim met her in the hall and said, “Say, Mol, don’t be too hard on him. lie’s such a kid. Y’ know ye’re kinda peppery when ye’re peeved; he’s not a half bad guy, Molly, honest I know him. Molly dear, it’s you he’s after.” “Thank you, Slim,” Molly replied icely, “I need no advice from you r’ anylxxly else. I c’n manage m’ own affairs.” She got into lied and tossed and turned and thought over the fateful quarrel again and again and moaned hundreds of times, “Oh, if he does love me why does he act like that, and if he doesn’t, why does he want to torture me. Oh, I’ll just avoid him and forget all alx ut him, but I can’t—I can’t—I cant, I lov—I mean I hate him so.” Finally after the menace and anguish of the night had passed, tears came and great sobs shook her and when the storm of unhappiness had passed she laid her soft cheek on folded hands and slid, rather than sank, into the cool grey regions of sleep. When she dressed the next morning she could not resist looking out of the window and saw the ice pick to the right of the window as usual. She decided to go to the store by Twenty-third street instead of the usual way, to avoid Dick. It was a very disappointed young man who saw no icepick adorning the window opposite and on his way to work stepped into the florist’s and said, “I want a two dollar bunch of the swellest purplest, sweetest violets y’ got in the store, tied with white satin ribbon and here’s a note to go with ’em. T’

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THE OCKSHEPERIDA Molly rather neglected Mr. Jones and in spite of her anger toward Dick, wondered whether he would buy the blonde a little bunch of violets. As they passed again she saw with relief that the blonde did not wear violets. Dick rather neglected the blonde and in spite of his anger toward Molly, wondered if Jones would take her out in one of those “gondolas” and try to make love to her. And then he discovered that he had always disliked and distrusted this Jones. Finally he submerged in a sea of the cloying sweetness of her baby talk and longed for Molly as a life giving oasis or firm fresh island. He invented an excuse to take the blonde home early. That night he went down to the pool hall to “drive dull care away” and see the “fella’s” and finally he spied Slim and took him aside and said, “She’s down on me Slim, and as Ex-President Taft says, “God only knows what fer.” And then he related as much of the fateful quarrel as he could rememl er. “Oh, ain't I in a hell of a fix. Slim? Ain’t I? I’m tired of cheap Bohemia, blondes, resting my feet on brass rails, poker. What I want is real life with an A No. I little red headed Jane as a partner!” “Poor guy, lie’s got it bad,” his companion sobbed from time to time as he told of the virtues of this heavenly girl. Slim promised to do his share toward effecting a reconciliation. When Molly got home that Sunday she felt an even greater resentment toward the recreant Dick. She had made up her mind she was going to forget him. So she took all the keepsakes of their friendship, a dried rose, two or three notes, a bunch of withered violets and an old dance program, where she had first met him, and ruthlessly burned them in the kitchen stove. Then she told herself even more energetically that she was going

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THE OCKSHEPERIDA Ik? sent up by five t’night. I’ll write the address here. Yep, that bunch ’ll do.” Emma and Mae, her two chums, showed their sympathy by doing extra clerking but this angered more than soothed her for the inde] endent little soul did hate to Ik? pitied. When they went to lunch Mae said, Pmr li’l kid, they’ve had a scrap n’ I reckon she thinks the world’s come to an end; but I’ll bet mv new silk waist, they make up inside a week, and they’ll l e as dippy as ever.” “Gee,” Emma remarked, “ain’t it awful and astonishin’ how bein’ in love makes you lose every rap a sense you ever had and makes you act foolish and quarrelsome. My, I thank my lucky stars and the Good Gawd I hain’t got no flutterin’ of my hlood pumpin’ organ.” When they got back Mae looked toward the glove counter and leaned faintly against the door, “Look Emma,” she murmured weakly, “What dye know about that?” “Oh, huh, I see,” said Emma viciously, “that peroxide dame never even Ixmght a hairpin here before. I’ll bet that slab sided gazabo has made trouble n’ come t’ see how her scheme’s pannin’ out. Well leave it t’ Molly t’ put the skids under her. Say Emma v’ couldn't fix them gloves on the show case could v’ so y’ could hear the gab?” “Sure, I’ll get hep—leave it to me, Mae.” Molly looked lovelier than ever for the sleepless night had given her a Incoming pallor which was intensified by her glistening red hair. As exposed by O. Henry, rivals do not sit and glamour at one another or even invite each other to killing parties and duels as many novelists would have us believe. What they really do is to try to get intimate enough with the other person to find out just what chance they’ve got of winning the creature desired. The blonde knew this and that was why she was so anxious to get a date with Molly so she could pump her.