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mmmmmmmmmmBmBmmBSsmmmmmmmmmaem fSs'r - -,- v Ti '- -' " " - r'' v? T"',fV?WFS?PP"ir,1 a r " i -' "' STORY ABOUT KIND WORDS fc y Says a fellow editor: "Too bad St. Valentine's day doesn't & ' come oftener. Kind words should have'full sway the year 'round." f Kind words, hey? Guess that editor fellow never was a kid 5 40 years ago. - I h Remember that Valentine time, along back in the 70's, when t E you were in love with Kittie Smith, Sammy Smith's sister? Used I to carry her school books and sharpen her slate pencils, and stand for hold-ups by Sammy, didn't you? ( f You could lick Sammy with one hand tied behind you; "but who i ' got second bite out of your apple? Who won your marbles at "Keeps?" " Who put chips on his shoulder and "dared" you before all the primary grade boys? Who strutted about you and bragged and spit sideways through his teeth along bout Valentine's day? Sam- my! Sammy!! Oh yes, there were some kind words, precious, kind, loving words. "The rose is red, the violet blue, "Sugar is sweet and so are you." Remember how you sweat all one afternoon at printing that under a picture of two hearts pierced by an arrow? Sure! "If you love me as I lpve you, , "No knife can cut our love in two." Guess you haven't forgotten how you worked half a night try ing to sneak that under Kittie Smith's front door and get over the fence ahead of old man Smith and the. Smith family terrier. And you were so almighty afraid that Kittie wouldn't know who prit the hand-painted valentine in her McGuffey's second-reader that you signed your name to your first poenv "Kittie, you're so prittj "Not to hug you is a pitty." Of course, Miss Smith lost the poem and you got the nickname "Molasses" Jones. Oh, yes, some kind words, but what a darned job giving 'em full sway just one day, to say nothing of th,e year 'round. And who cut father's lead pipe out of the kitchen sink to sell to a junk dealer for the wherewithal to purchase a picture and some 1 kind words stating that tne teacner was a cross-eyed old maid with men on the bram? You did. Had you "kind words" for the doctor, the minister and the milkman? You had "kind words" that justified your slaughter by the good men. "Biddy has a fat leg, Biddy has a lean, mMmmcjmmmtmm