Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1870-04-29
TALKS WITH GIRLS.
BIZ AUNT HELEN
standing with reluctant feet,
Where the brook and river nsset,
Womauhood and childhood feet y

WomanhOod and childhood feet"
There are many varieties of girls, such as
town girls and country girls; sensible girls
and silly girls; growa up girls and young
girls; but we will talk to day With the sweet
sixteen girls, those who will soon be young
ladies', but have never owned "a trail or
been entirely free TO wear just whichever
dress they choose, without consulting their
mother; thoss who swing on the gate awhile
when young gentleman walks home With
them, and who are much perplexed to know
whether it IS proper to ask him to call again;
or to thank him when be invites them to go
to a concert; or to shake hands with him
when he comes into the parIor, and when
he leaves it; girls who think a great DEAL
chiefly about the size of their ehignons, and
the rosetes on their shoes, whose feather
costs the most money, whose dress has the
greatest number of ruffles, who wears the
most splendid sash and whom the tailest
Academy boy took home from the last
party.
Now, since we have it settled whom am
talking to, I viii go on and tell you what an
old bachelor told me, about some Of you.
Said he Now there is great deal Of talk
about the coming 1eomaR, and what she VIII
be, but the shortest way to settle the ques-
ton, to my mind, is to study the girls Of
the period"
"The girls Of the period - exclaimed.
are just the prettiest, sweetest, brightest,
creatures in the world. y
''Ah yes, madam, he said, but how
do they gossip and talk sometimes. Three
of them sat on porch under my window,
a few evenings ago, and what l can remem-
Der of their conversations was like this;
No. /. Did You hear, girls, that DR..
L---was obliged to leave town? They
say if be had stayed day longer he would
have been arrested for debt -
No. ?. "Well, | am not surprised at that,
for mamma says such an extravagant wife
as he has would ruin any man. Why she
keeps three servants all the time and never
goes near the kitchen herself, and has din
ner or supper party nearly every week, and
they use forty pounds Of butter in a month,
and Mrs. Wilson told mamma that Mrs. l.
's dress-making bill alone was one
hundred dollars last year.
No. ). ''Well, Mrs. Wilson needn't talk,
for she nearly starves her old mother to
death, and don't give her any fire these cold
days, and she subscribed only fifty cents to
the Missionary society last Sunday, aud is
as close in her family as she can be. Mrs.
Kent was in there one evening aud told
what they had for tea.
No. 2. well, as for Mrs. Kent, she is as
high tempered as she can be, and seold
and a real slattern; but everybody has his
faults; if she don go to church and mis-
treats her husband and neglects her children,
Fm not the one that S going to talk about
her.
No. l. by the way, girls, how did you
enjoy Mary Nesbitt's party?''
/ No. 2. Well, if couldn't have nicer re-
freshments and more of them, / wouldn't
have party at all. .
No 8. 'For my part my enjoyment was
completely spoiled by that little fright of a
Mary Green. Did you ever see such a
dowdy, and she gets more new dresses than
any girl in our set. "
No ,. And the idea of Sallie Throhton
having a new blue silk, when her father u
minister and gets only eight hundred 8
year
This, my dear madam, is no exaggera
ton, and though they call me an illn1tured
old bachelor. l must protest against it. !
insist, the rosy lips Of sweet sixteen were
never made to retail gossip; it is a growing
/ evil, and many heart-aches are caused BY
the marvellous tales forged, the scandal
coined, the regulations clipped and the fair
names sullied in this thoughtless manner.
No domestic or social sanctities are too holy
for the vandal feet Of our home is laid open
to the intrusion of the public -
But said /, you dcn't pretend to
blame the young girls with all this p
All, no. he replied, Il see women who
are capable of worthier life taking the
lead, and Young America only follows in
the wake.
Now, girls, | have told you what an cid
bachelor says about gossipiag, would you
| ike to know what young gentleman thinks
of flirting? He said; I'VE never have much
respect for young lady who INDUCES in
what are called fan firtations, hand
kerchief firtations," etc A well dressed
young gentleman, bus an entire stranger,
appears on the street Of village and has
not walked many squares before bis atten-
ton is attracted by some young ladies who
cough, smile, bow and perform series Of
mystical signs and signals with their hand
kcrchiefs. If he happens to be as silly as
the girls. the acquaintance progresses so
rapidly that the girls become alarmed and
retreat from the scene, and learn to their
chargin that be is msn Of such low and
loose morals that no respectable woman
recognizes him in the town where be lives.
But this is not all; he inquiries who those
Young ladies' are, and afterwards uses their
names freely before other men of the same
sort. and iu a manner the girls never drealn-
ed of when they started out to have some
fun" IF instead of being well-dressed
ro,cdg, be is a ga'tlemaR, tbs girls only ex-
cited his pity aud contempt.
I replied that some girls might be found
ina town who would behave in this manner
but not those who have been raised in re
spectacle families
Don't be mistaken" lie said ''0nly
two weeks ago, while waiting in barber
saloon, / was made the object Of so many
signs and communications from two pretty
girls on door step opposite. that | wa
strongly tempted TO cross the street and tel
them just what thought of their conduct
! I found afterwards they were daughters 0
reHned aud elegant homes | have seel