Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1890-01-15
A Society Leader"

Al meating Of = certain literary
club. composed % the 80 called society
women Of = certain city, several DIS
tiuruished women were invIted-vo-
men from afar-to hear = very able
paper read on a certain subject OF wide
" general interest. Previous 10 the
meeting these guests had heard much
u the acknowledged leader Of society
In the place. Have YOU met Mrs
D" everybody questioned. You
Will admire her 80 much; she Is charm
ing; such lovely manners; 50 well bred,
w much admired, We ars 50 proud OF
her" etc, everybody affirmed The
Iutroductions were arranged TO take
place Al the literary society.
The meeting convened With IT'S usual
formality. prologued by the charming
frou frou Of women's voices and gowns,
a. IN the general Informality OF
arrival everybody greeted everybody
else with pleasant words, and fut-
tered about from group TO group
The guests looked curlOusly at each
bright face, expecting It TO be a
part of the charming personality OF
lovely Mrs. D. The president adj
dressed the assembly, the secretary
read the notes Of the last meeting, some
heads Of committees made repOrts-in
fact. the business was all transacted
and no Mrs D had arrived
At last the president introduced the
spanker and the event Of the meeting,
the reading Of "a paper which had been
IN preparation for months, began As
u continued IN smoothly rounded per
iOds, argument after argument beng
unfulisd with n strength and logic that
fixed all attention, an interruption oc-
Cured, there was "a soft rustic OF fem
min. drap.ris- the door wus thrown
open, ON the threshold appeared a tall,
Will0wy figure. graceful as an aspen,
clad IN picturesque pstheticness and
crowned by a smiling, beautiful face
She looked uhseutly a moment or
two, hcsitutyd, and then passed across
the front Of the assembly room before
the very face Of the waiting, Rstonished
speaker, IN front of the president, and
drew "A chair before the burning Goals
Of great open fire. Then, with an
other pretty rustic Of draperles,
gathering up Of skirts, showing rutle
after rutfie If filmy lace, a grace
ful shape sank into cushioned depths,
two duiutlly shod little feet were
extended toward the stage and, with
pretty gesture and faint, low,
half Apologize laugh, a voice broke
the silence with the words. MIS-
President 4 am SO sorry, but l was un-
AvoidubIy detained. Won't you ask
dear Mrs e. To- commence over
again I would so regret 10 miss any
thing Of hers
The distinguished guests looked and
listened ughnst. Intuition told them
who had thus dared forget what the
president said The paper was contin-
ued at the point Of interruption, but
the distinguished guests declined the
honor ot meeting the social leader
whose manners we're $50 charmingly
we'll bred, and the city, represented by
it. women blushcd.
This women, tins leader, was not so
much 10 blame after all; she was hu-
man. Association had spoiled her.
Assocutipu' Shel the leader of So
ciety uf the cultured, best bred peo-
plsi Yes, she, for she had associated
for years with naught but ndulation,
and her conduct was but n proof that
common Eeuse and tact are as neces-
sary 10 true refinement as birth and
breeding ~ s. r. " iH Chicago
Herald