Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1886-04-23
]" You ridiculous ,nidget!''

" Oh RIDICULOUS midget Isl. s$
"She's little, but she's shrewd. .
/ And of she sped as young Pennycastle
came along for an hour at tennis; and
saw her coming back in time, SUR
rounded by an awkward squad Of the
young society men. :.% 81 4. sS5..s Hill
eyes, they are an awkward squad, y
she said, in answer to me by-and-b by.
"And stupid-stupid beyond any
thingl" -. =
THE idea of taking 50 much trouble,
Betle, to please them, then!'
"Im not doing it to please them,
the jackanapes! Yes, they are jacka-
napes! They don't know anything
but society small-talk and attitudes.
They can dance-oh, how they can
dancsl First one and then the other,
till there are holes in tho soles of your
slippers. Sometimes l 60 to bed 80
I tired it seems as If baths OF hot al
cohol wouldn't put any life into my
feet. But I'm up in the morning as
fresh as rose with tho dew
on it. I have to be-. It's what I'm
here for. And they're g. part Of
! my success, these little swells. I've
| got to 60 about with a. train of them
as certificates OF it. They re just like
it-where one goes all go.-Oh, yes, in
deed; thank you, MI. Vonderbust;
you're always so kind! It is just what
Twas wishing. Do you know / some
times think you're the most" And
L caught no more of the silvery sem
tence, for she. had gone off with Mr..
Vonderbust, catching up her draparies
as she flashed along all light and grace,
and presently tripping down the stairs
in a close.6tting dark serge, with a.
cocks feather i'll her little turban hat;
and half a dozen other youths had
sprung to hold her parasol, to button
her glove, to walk beside her to the
spot where Mr.. Vonderbust waited
with his new Hambletonian, whose
pace they were going to try together
When Bette came back she came d.
rectly to me where | sat on the piazza
with my crocheting IF you don't
mind going in to lunch with me?" she
said. | didn't understand till after
ward that I was a part other role too.
1t gave people pleasant things to say
OF her kindness to a forlorn old spin
ster, for one thing-and I'm afraid if l
had comprehended it in the beginning
should have put an end to it. out Of
hand-was that, quite innocent and
ignorant OF it all, was her chaperon.
lit is such misfortune,"' she said to
the right people, that my own dear
chaperon, who always takes me about,
was obligedt to leave almost as soon
as we came; and I should have had to
60 too, and be buried alive somewhere,
suppose, if my dear little Miss Rug
giles had not happened to be here, and
she has taken charge of me so kindly!"
Take charge OF that mink! l should
as soon have thought oftaking charge
OF will-o' -the-wisp.
'Now, you see what mean when I
say it is necessary here to be always
en- evidence. You're forgotten If
you're not. Out OF sight, out ofmind.
am here to be seen. If I hadn't been
sitting here with you, that absurd lit
tie Vonderbust wouldn't have asked
me to drive, and the others wouldn't
all have gone to pulling caps about
waiting. on me to the dog-cart, and
Mr.: Dunrobin wouldn't have seen it
as he sat there with his cigar. When
| have filled everybody's eyes, MIR.
Dunrobin will begin to see me. So I
am always very plainly visible with
my train OF idiots. Oh yes, am as
froth, but it's game as deep as the
sea underneath"
"Bettie, I'm ashamed of human ma
ture when hear you talk"
mo OCCASION" crumbling her bread.
"You wouldn't be ashamed of me if
were trying to make fortune by what
you call honest iabor., Well, IL this
isn't labor, should like TO know what
it is" "'-
"Labor!" 81
cts labor enough, let me assure
you, just to talk to these whipper.
snappers- It's moretrouble than it
would be to write a book, tograduate
your conversation to the level of their
little intellects, if they have any intel
lects-Penhurst and De Lacy and Van
Stout and the whole set. You have
to make believe to each one that you
find him perfectly delightful. If you're
the least atom above his comprehen-
sion in your talk, or silent, or slow,
goodbye; and goodbye to one, good
bye to all. If one of them sees anoth-
or hanging over your chair, he thinks
there's something worth while there,
and he is coming in for his share; but
If he doesn't see nybody, he's going
where it is plain there is something the
other fellows admire. Do you see?
Here they come; I thought they
would"
She ran into my room one night be-
fore going down to the german. Gam
all right" she said. "Come down
with me, that's q DEAR"
why don't you rest to-night?' I
asked, not yet aware OF my chaperon-
age:
''Rest!" she said. Gas if there were
any rest in the middle of q campaign!
I'll rest when I'm through"
"Bettie, I'm afraid"
"What Of? That shall fail? Well,
what if lido? Folks havetailed before.
And if fail, life won't be worth a cent,
and there's always the river, you
know" %E d" n
'sBettie Bennett! I'll" have nothing
more to do with you at all. 1 think
you are" -. 80:
"As bad as bad can be! Then come
down and help me not to fail. I've
got to dance tonight to the last dance,
and take ices and drink champagne
with the best of them or the worst of
them, just as il were to the manner
born. II don't dance the first dance,
then the others will think something's
up, or nobody wants me, or I'm an
old story, and sha'n't have a part
ner all the rest of the night. It's kill
ing-this place. Do you think / am
falling OFF any?"
Failing of" said I. sThere's moth.
ing TO fall of. You'll be the more piqu-