Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-11-15
ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

l never thought | would be a bach
elor. The joy of my youth from the
time [ was 10 was sparkling the
girls, and they took me captive often
and easily. l hay awake at night
thinking OF the house | would build
for pretty MOnette Silby. When she
tossed me Sky high. | contemplated
suicide for a whole week Then /
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 year. SO it went on love aft
air after love affair." each one more
painful than its predecessor until
was %, when common sense called a
halt and questioned: Morley Monta-
cue, are you going TO court every girl
in Christend0m" Then the suscep-
| dbllity that encountered such fire.
quent inspiration began a mad rush
to the other extreme. l S0mersaulted
over into 4 woman hater. Curls,
waves, roses, dimples, smiles-all wo-
man Witctery was lost on me. I had
gone up the Samut of female lowell
ness, had sounded every note, and
my heart pronounced the tones tire
some and unc0mpeuSating [ carried
| my diploma from the school of love
There was nothing more to learn
about women, and it became a self
evident proposition that cehbacy was
my doom. l accepted it cheerfully
and, like all such graduates, 1 began
to ridicule 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 untrOdden whiteness.
The business of the day being over,
L wound up my affairs at my office
and started for my home, which lay
Oh 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 1 felt a sudden mysterious inter-
est in it. With head down and eyes
following this track. 1 reached my
own gate. and, behold. the walker
turned in there!
| Having settled into bachelOrbood, l
was not sure that 1 wanted to meet
n G YnI 7
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?'
who's here" she replied. How
do You know any one is here?'
"Why haven't I followed wo-
nan's track ali the way from town,
'nothcr7 And never saw such a
beautiful foot!''
It's not any prettier than the own
er." my mother replied, ''but I SIP
pose you'll object to meeting her, you
care SO little for ladies, so I've Or
dered q small table laid IN the break
fast room. and you can take your
supper alone if you wish.
Well, finding myself 50 coldly and
easily disposed of. ] felt uncertain as
to whether it pleased me. But l
asked with woman hating noncha-
lance. who is the beauty with such
a perfect foot?'
"She is Miss Enid Gloriana Brand,
a school friend Of your sisters"
How does she happen to be here,
motherT'
She is going to visit her aunt in
Fairville and stopped over to spend
the night with Felicia. AS she lives
in the city and does not often see The
snow in its purity, she preferred to
walk up from the train. Shes a
lovely creature. I'm so sorry you
won't make her acquaintance, AI,,r-
leyr'
Il don't know but 1 will. mother.
If she's as pretty as her foot why
Mother laughed and said in a tone
that piqued me, ''Ha, sizes so charm.
ing and so stylish she'd never look
at a country town peau like You
Now people may lay themselves IN
the shelf and be willing to be over
looked, but they are pot so ready to
have other people 3on<ign l.,m TO
oblivion as unworthy, AID, then to
think of a woman looking upon ME
as country beaui 1 determined to
meet Miss Enid Gloriana Brand her
name was longer thal her fo0h.
Twas wonderful with what hasty. .
spasmodic zeal I dashed to my room
and got into the best of q well stock
ed wardrobe. Miss GlOriana could
not say the suit was a country cut,
for it came from her VI Gig
I rushed into the part0r with some
little diffidence, it must be said.
determined. however. to impress the
visitor. if possible. and escape the
Indifference which my mother pre-
dicted she would fe,' for me. My
salutation I accompanied with
Il knew sO0ie hes.Ltiful
Cinderella had entered my house,
Miss Brand. I di nor ind her Slip
per. but L saw the imprint o. her
delicate foot in the snow and felt
that I was fortunate in being able !
to follow her step"
Well, now, if you could see that