isters and himself; fine furniture all in horsehair;
lots of silver for the table; and they kept two girls and had had 'em
for years; and Mrs. Pendleton watched Bob very careful so he wouldn't
catch cold or anything, because he had a weak chest. And Bob would take
me down to his father's store where we got raisins and candy, and we
played ball in the orchard.

Everything Bob had was brand new, and you had to be careful of it. He
had a new ball; and on the day I met Mitch we was pitchin' ball--Bob and
me, in the orchard--and Bob kept saying to be careful and not let it
roll in the grass or get in the mud, that he wanted to keep it white and
clean. Well, of course, I missed now and then and Bob seemed displeased.
And when it rolled into the mud he came up and took the ball and wiped
it off and looked mad. Just then he said: "There comes that Mitch
Miller, and I think we'd better quit playin' anyway." I knew Mitch's
name and had seen him, but we hadn't run together yet.

Mitch climbed over the fence into the orchard, and Bob began to kind a
move away. I could see that Bob didn't want him, for he said, "Come on,
Arthur." Everybody called me Skeet, though my name was Arthur, which I
hated. Bob always called me Arthur and made me call him Robert, though
his nickname was "Shadder." When Bob said to come on to me, Mitch says,
"Wait a minute, Skeet, I've somethin' to tell you." So I said to Bob,
"Wait a minute, Robert," and Bob said, "You're comin' now or not at
all." That made me mad, so I stood there. Bob went on and Mitch came up.

[Illustration: Mitch Climbed over the Fence]

"Let him go," said Mitch. "You don't care, do you?"

"Not much," says I.

"Well, I hope not," says Mitch. "He's a sissy--spoiled by his ma. And
you don't call this any fun, do you, pitchin' ball with a ball so good
that you dassn't let it roll on the ground? Now, I've seen you around,
Skeet, and I like you, and if you like me, we'll be chums, and go havers
on everything, and if anybody fights you he'll have to fight me, and the
same way with me, and I'll bet we'll have more fun together in a day
than you could have with Shadder Pendleton in a year. Do you agree?" I
said, "Yes, I agree," for I liked Mitch--I liked his name, I liked his
way, and his face, his voice, everything about him right then; and I
knew what I was promisin'.

Mitch says, "Do you want to have some fun?" I says, "You bet I do."

"Well," Mitch says, "there's more goin' on in th