Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1883-07-12
AURA MERRIAN'S FOLLY.


AURA MERRIAN'S FOLLY.
I'll tell you exactly how it came about,
though am sure as look back at it all,
/ think must have been crazy. At any
rate, l know if live to be one hundred
years old, / shall never cease to turn
hot and cold every time l think of my
folly.
My roommate at Miss Hough's semi
nary was Ellen March. did not Ike
her at first. She was one of those noisy,
ill-bred girls, who rasp your nerves and
make you feel every place is too small
to hold both YOU and them. We had a
small room, almost a closet, and being
the two eldest boarders and in the same
classes, Miss Hough allowed us good
many privileges.
She said to me: 81 put Ellen March
with you, Aura. because you are one of
the quietcst girls in school, and she is
the most boisterous. There is really no
harm in her, and she seems to like you
so much that think your influence will
tend to make her more refined and lady
like
That was the verdict we all pro-
nounced on Ellen March," No harm in
her."
She was given more money than she
needed, and was generous with every
thing she had. Besides this, she was
obliging and good-natured, and of
course was not to blame if her people
were uneducated and vulgar and had not
taught her good manners.
But it wood have been better for me
if Ellen had been a termagant in temper
who was a by-word to every girl in
school.
1t was contrary to the rules of the
school for room-mates to talk after
going to bed, but Ellen would insist
upon keeping up whispered converse
ton for hours and hours, when we should
have been asleep.
At first would not answer, tor up to
that time had never broken the rules
of the school, Still, I listened, which
was just as bad. She talked about balls
and parties that she had attended, but
her favorite topic was beauX, particu-
larly two young men, to both of whom
she said she was engaged!
"4o. see, Aura, ." she said, sits the
greatest fun to see fellows making fools
of themselves about one. It's Just de-
lightful TO make them think each is the
favorite, and then see them glare at
each other whenever they meet. Don't
l have fun when one happens to call
when the other is with me! They're as
jealous as cats, and so polite to each
other! / wouldn't miss it for anything.
don't know yet which I'll marry. Per-
haps | won't marry either of them,
but l wouldn't be without two strings to
my bow, anyhow. How many beaux
have you gol?'
"Not one, and I'm glad of it," an
swered, Indignantly. ''Do stop this nom
sense. Don't you know you're break
ing a rule?"
Il don't care if / am" she an
swered, placidly. Il didn't come here
to be tied to rules, and pas too rich
for old Hough to be too strict with me.
But just TO think! You're sixteen, and
you re prettier than l am, and haven't
got a beau! Why, I've had beaux since
/ was thirteen. And people say if your re
not attractive to gentlemen when you're
young, you never will be: and then, ten
chances to one, you'll be an old maid.
Why, I'd be wretched if the fellows
didn't fall in love with me and | with
them
You think, no doubt, ought TO have
been disguised with this conversation.
was at first. But by degrees l began
to be interested, and out of curiosity
read Ellen's love-letters, which she
used to get under an assumed name,
and in the spirit of fun / even helped
her to answer some of them. You will
hardly believe it, but after time. I'M
der the influence of her constant talk,
began to feel almost ashamed that l
had no beau. think Ellen must have
read my thoughts. for she soon began
to praise her cousin, Guy Reeves.
"Such splendid fellowr' she said.
''All the girls are desperate about him.
You are just his style, for he worships
dark beauties. wish he could see you.
l know he'd lose his head, and I'd give
anything to see Guy in love, for he laughs
so ut my little affairs. wish YOU could
see something of life. You've been
brought up like num-
Guys real name | afterwards found
out was Gideon, but Ellen did not think
it suited the romance she was beginning
to weave about him. She must have
written her cousin about me, for not
long after she said she had. a message
for me, and then read from letter she
had just received something about his
great desire to meet his cousins lovely
friend.
OF course, you will say that l ought
to have treated this message with cool
contempt, but it seemed very inoffen-
sive. What harm could there be in it
/ thought. So l merely replied in a
bantering way: "Well, he won't get
his desire" But other messages fol-
lowed, until one day Ellen. in great ex-
element, took me aside and said:
30 Aura! / sent Guy your photo
graph, just to look at it, you know, and
he says you're too beautiful for any
thingr'
"Sent him my photography ex-
claimed, in dismay. why, how could
you do that?''
"Oh, it was not to keep. just to look
at, that's all. Why, anybody has the
right to look at a photograph, 1 suppose.
You have the queerest, old-fashioned
notions. I've given away dozens of |!
mine to young men"