Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

answered. Then she giggled and beckoned to Frances who was in the parlor. For a moment they stood laughing and looking at me in an odd manner; well, I thought to myself, its some girl they wanted to talk to privately, so I went away whistling so I wouldn’t hear After I had looked at the papers_, I went out in the kitchen and sat down on a chair by a window and watched the melting snow. Once the telephone bell rang, and another time the front door opened and Joe came in, but when he went out again I never noticed it. Presently he came back again, and a moment later Frances came out and said:

“Why don’t you get in to dinner? Don’t you know you’re the honor guest?”

So I went in. There was Bill, laughing! I could only gasp, “For Heaven’s sake!” which caused Bill to remark that I was en­croaching upon his byword. We sat down to dinner merrily, at which we talked and laughed. At the end slices of ice cream, with three flavors like a layer cake, were brought in, which explained the telephone call. Joe had called up about and when Louise answered_, she couldn’t say anything while I was there, and so Joe thought it was central and said “I beg your pardon.” At this Louise thought someone else had come in on the 77. line! But we had the cream anyway. Then Frances and Louise went upstairs a few moments. I thought to myself they were getting my present, but in a few moments Mother entered with a huge cake, crowned with eighteen candles that were burning merrily! Frances said I had to cut the cake, but Mother came to the rescue and cut it. It was certainly delicious, and we all asked for a second helping. I blew at the candles, and only twelve went out, so I am not to be married for six years; but so much the better.

After dinner I went upstairs to get ready to go to Bud’s and while I was delighting in a shave, Joe called up to me and said to come down, for there was another surprise. I came down in a hurry; Frances Put two and a half dollars in my hand and said:

“There, now you’re to buy your class pin with that.”

I could only reply a “Thanks,” I was so bewildered, Frances told me then that it was not all a dream!

After I was ready we sat in the living room, waiting for King. However when it was three o’clock and haven’t come yet, we left, first going over to Bill’s house to see if he had come there. He hadn’t and so we went on to Bud’s. Bud’s folks moved last week down on Penn Street and we were making a party call. Bud