Funny I can't think of his name. Begins with B I'm pretty
certain." And you trail along after him, as if you were a detective,
sort of keeping out of his sight, and yet every once in a while
getting a good look at him. "Mmmmmm!" says you. "What is that
fellow's name? Why, sure. McConica." And you walk up to him and
stick out your hand while he's gassing with somebody, and there's
that smile on your face that says: "I know you but you don't know
me," and he takes it in a limp sort of fashion, and starts to say:
"You have the advantage of - " when, all of a sudden, he grabs your
hand as if he were going to jerk your arm out of its socket and beat
you over the head with the bloody end, and shouts out: "Why, HELLO,
Billy! Well, suffering Cyrus and all hands round! Hold still a
second and let me look at you. Gosh darn your hide, where you been
for so long? I though you'd clean evaporated off the face the earth.
Why, how AIR you? How's everything? That's good. Let me make you
acquainted with my wife. Molly, this is Mr. - " But she says: "Now
don't you tell me what his name is. Let me think. Why, Willie
Smith! Well, of all things! Why, how you've changed! Honest, I
wouldn't have knowed you. Do you mind the time we went sleigh-ridin'
the whole posse of us, and got upset down there by Hanks's place?"
And then you start in on "D' you mind?" and "Don't you recollect?"
and you talk about the old school-days, and who's married, and who's
moved out to Kansas, and who's got the Elias Hoover place now, and
how Ella Trimble - You know Ella Diefenbaugh, old Jake Diefenbaugh's
daughter, the one that lisped.
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