And given the differences in gender behavior, most of the sore bottoms belonged to boys. As time passed, Billy did manage to make a few casual friends among the boys and girls in the quiet neighborhood surrounding Aunt Blanche’s home. A common summertime activity for the children was a refreshing swim in the nearby lake after morning chores. Billy’s new acquaintances pointed out all the neighborhood shortcuts, one of which took them through the back yard of Aunt Blanche’s friend and neighbor, a very attractive young woman named Edith Parsons who, understandingly, had no objection to the benign trespassing. Edith Parsons was a student teacher at Blanche’s school who, during the summer months, supplemented her income with an evening job at the local paper in order to make the rental payments on the small home Blanche had found for her.
Aunt Blanche3
