Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1894-11-15
on THE RIGHT TRACK.

elor The JOY of my youth from the
time l was IL was sparkling the
girls, and they took me captive often
and easily. l lay awake at night
thinking of the house l would build
for pretty Monette Silby. When she
tossed me sky high, | contemplated
suicide for whole week. Then L
met Maria Prudens, and my spirits
revived. l declared my love to her
in forty-eight hours, only to be
laughed at and told that she had been
engaged n year. SO it went on love an
air after love affair, each one more
painful than its predecessor, until
was %, when common sense called a
halt and questioned: Morley Monta-
que, are you going to court every girl
in ChristendomY Then the suscep-
tibility that encountered such fire.
quent inspiration began mad rush
to the other extreme. somersaulted
over into a woman hater. Curls.
waves, roses, dimples, smiles all wo-
man witchery was lost on me. had
gone up the gamut of female lowell
ness had sounded every note and
my heart pronounced the tones tire
sons and uncompensating. l carried
my diploma from the school of love.
There was nothing more to learn
about women, and it became self
evident proposition that celibacy was
my doom. accepted it cheerfully,
and. like all such graduates, ( began
to rldicule and depreciate women
youths playthings, mans scorn.
1t was December The first snow
lay on the ground, and the clear, cold
rays of a golden sunset were falling
over all the unuodden Wilderness.
The business of the day being over.
l wound up my affairs at my office
and started for my home, which lay
on the outskirts Of the town. Turning
from the main street to the road that
led to my house, / observed that
was the first pedestrian along the
highway since the snow had fallen.
No, there is another track. Some one
has gone ahead of me, And such a
track! A woman's? 1t must be a
child's it is so tiny and perfect. Yet
something told me it was a woman's,
and l felt a sudden mysterious inter-
est in it. With head down and eyes
following this track, l reached my
own gate. and, behold, the walker
turned in there!
Having settled into bachelorbood, l
was not sure that / wanted to meet
strange woman, and knew there
was no foot In my own family that
was no foot In my own family that,
even with tight squeezing, could be
reduced to the size Of that track. So
made sudden dart to the side
door. entered. and meeting my mother
inquired, who's here?"
'.Whos hereT' she replied. How
do you know any one is here?"
"Why haven't / followed a wo-
mans track ali the way from town,
inothcr7 And never cav such
beautiful foot!"
Its not any prettier than the OWL
cr," my mother replied, ''but / sup
pose you'll object to meeting her, you
care 50 little for ladies', so I've or
dered a small table laid IN the break
fast room. and you can take your
supper alone If you wish.
Well, finding myself SO coldly and
easily disposed OF, ! felt uncertain as
to whether it pleased me. But |
asked with woman hating noncha-
lance. who Is the beauty with such
a perfect foot?'
"She is Miss Enid Gloriana Brand,
school friend OF yonr sisters"
How does she happen to be here,
mother2"
She is going to visit her aunt in
Fairville and stopped over to spend
the night with Felicia. AS she liv.s
in the city and does not often see the
snow in Its purity, she preferrei TO
walk up from the train. She's
lovely creature. I'm 50 sorry you
won't make her acquaintance. Ncr-
leyv
Il don't know but i win, mother
If she's as pretty as Der foot why
Mother laughed and said in tone
that piqued me, "Ha, sizes so charm,
ing and so stylish she'd never look
at country town beau like YOU
Now people may lay themselves On
the shelf and be willing to be over
looked, but they are not 20 ready TO
have other people consign item to
oblivion as unworthy, and, then 70
think of woman rocking upon me
as a country beau! ! determined TO
meet Miss Enid Gloriand Brand fher
name was longer tia her FOOT.
Twas wonderful with what hasty,
spasmodic zeal / dashed to my room
and got into the best or well stock
ed wardrobe. Miss Gloriana could
not say The suit was q country cut,
for it came from her oUn CITY
rushed into the parlor with some
little diffidence, 1t must be said,
determined, however, to impress the
~ al ranann fh.a