Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-10
CINDA'S RIDE.

Hetty Shelter was made up one-tourtn
Of beauty, tSne-fourth Of intelligence, one
eighth Of light accomplishments, one
eighth of loving kindness and one-fourth
Of frolic. The reader will note that this
method Of statement saves long strings Of
mucilaginous platitudes about fathomless
orbs, dropping lashes, q faultless form and
peeping feet that nervously pat on occa-
sion, etc.
Hetty was IS, and she had beau, and
this beau loved fun and Hetty as much as
Hetty loved fun and him. 1t Is certain
this prospective match Vas made in heav-
en-, for their reciprocal fitness was COM
lplete Hetty enjoyed the be-beaued SEN
station so much that she wanted every girl
friend to have beau. She specially pitied
Lucinda Stocking, who had careered beau
lessly far into the thirties.
'Cinda," as she was Familiarity called,
exhausted in her personality all the posi-
bilities of acrid spinsterism. She was pain
fully perpendicular in person and manner
and was SO neat 1t made you uncomfort-
able. She was prim, precise and punctil-
ious in every thought and action, and her
daily life was an epitome Of prudery. She
had no use for the "horrid men," and she
dotted on Baxter's Saints Rest" and on
her Maltese cat.
In the same town lived John Hatfield,
bachelor of AZ. John was an exceeding
" proper man and was much more afraid
of women than of cholera or smallpox or
even a rampant dynamite bomb. He was
not q woman hater and had always in
tended to marry when the right woman"
should come along. 1t began to look like
she would never show up.
Hetty conceived the audacious scheme
of bringing these two into the relationship
of lovers She was full Of resource and
had no end of that innocent cunning and
flnesse which, properly adjusted and
worked, will circumvent fate itself. With
out firing the reader with tedious detail,
it is enough to state that within month
from the time Hetty put her plan on foot
she had John and Cinda on speaking
terms. This represented feat in di-
plomacy which was little short of marvel
Gus. In another month the intimacy be-
tween John and Cinda had grown and
warmed so marvelously that they actually
went to church together on one Sunday
eve The surprise Of the people was only
exceeded by the establishment of John and
Cinda themselves. Thinking about 1t
made John doubt his own identity, while
a glance into the immediate past and
bpresent sent Cinda into o catalepsy Of
idazed self insuficiency. The gossips had
settled it that the marriage Of this couple
was inevitable-that nothing short Of
bdeath could prevent 1t.
Hetty had nice horse and road cart at
her command. Like all girls, she was
orally fond of drive. Thinking 1t hu-
Imanizing and socially improving to ride
out" she had lately coaxed Cinda into
Iher cart. This ancient damsel got at last
Ireally submissive about it and would go
with Hetty without having to be coaxed
more than ''just tiny bit, as Hetty ex-
tpressed 1t.
On one beautiful Sunday afternoon
.Hetty overcame Cinda's religious scruples
and propriety sense sufficiently to get her
into her cart with herself. She wanted to
show people how human and modernlzed
Cinda had become. They drove out in
the country, called on some friends, stop
ped by the way and gathered some flowers
and with these pinned on their bosoms
chatted pleasantly and contentedly as Mel
lie trotted abstractedly along. Hetty was
a typical girl driver. She was particular
not to keep her lines taut, was careful
to look in every other direction except
ahead, scorned to pick the road for her
animal, and perpetually forgot that the
horse, with all his noble qualities, is a
dumb brute.
Just before entering town, and while
Hetty was discoursing eloquently upon
the perfectly proper and very elegant figure
they were cutting (this to quiet Cinda's
scruples, who as they neared town began
to feel self condemned), the horse stumbled
and went clear down. The sudden stop
page precipitated both Hetty and Cinda
over the dash and astride the horse, Hetty
in front and Cinda behind. The mare in
stantly recovered her feet and started off
very briskly. AS Hetty had nothing to
brace her feet against, her feeble tugging
at the reins only stimulated Nellie to
greater speed-she soon broke into a spir-
tied canter. And thus they entered town
and thus traversed the main street to the
end where Hetty lived. The sidewalks
were full Of people who were out prom
enading and enjoying the beautiful wealth
er. The jolt had "busted" their Psyche
knots, and their hair streamed wildly out
behind, while there was swapping and
fluttering of skirts and things which was
truly animating.
AS they flew along Hetty caught a
glimpse of her beau, who, with comical
smirk, politely tipped his hat. Although
outrageously embarrassed over her situa-
ton, it had been all she could do to re-
strain her laughter. The dron act Of her
lover snapped the quicker strings Of her
self control, and she burst into ringing
laughter. This had the effect to make her
equestrianism seem voluntary. The street
boys screeched with delight, many of them
in the excess Of their glee throwing cart
wheels and turning handsprings, etc.,
while the sober citizens felt scandalized
and were profoundly shocked. The agonies
of Cinda during this forced piece of bare
back riding were something too excruci-
ating to be even conceived, much less de-
'Bcribed.
They reached Hetty's home in safety,
and her father, astonished into speechless-
ness, assisted them to the ground. AS soon
as Cinda touched terra hrma she loosed q
food of the most startling profanity, thus: