Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1896-03-07
A WHITNEY GIRL.
BY KATHERINE BATES.

"After all, she looks best in Mans
hat"
mo. she doesn't. Mans needs little
moro loose hair around her face; as
long as hers won't curl, she had better
wear Pegs broad one that sets well
down on her head"
The girl who stood before the glass
irving on her sisters hats turned i'm
patiently "Good gracious!" she said.
ssWhat earthly difference does it make
Just how / do look? If only you girls
could make up your minds that aln
real down homely, life would be a coed
deal simpler for us all. Every time am
asked anywhere we go through all this,
and no one cares two pins how one o.
the Whitney girls looks!"
The four older sisters locked very un-
comfortable. "Don't talk like that,
Jennie" Peg, the Oldest, said, at last.
"Well, it is true" Jennie answered.
"'You never had the sort of times other
girls have, did you? / know Nan and
] never had any attention shown us
from the time we were chosen last to
play games at school up to now, when
we are only asked to moonlight pic
mics and surprise parties by the boy
who makes up his mind to go too late
TO get any other girl. / suppose it was
the same way with you, and Liza and
Sue"
The five women stood and looked
at each other. They were all tall and
painfully thin, with prominent cheek
bones and sunken eyes. Their mother
had died Of faOpcI1Y7on4inv, ord ~ xxra
confidently expected in the neighbor-
hood that the girls would eventually
go off, as she had gone. Jennie was
less pale and thin than the others; her
eyes, though deepset, were blue, not
gray, and her hair had slightly red
dish shade to it, which made her look
more positively alive than her sisters.
They had thought her pretty, had rev.
eled in the belief that she was popular.
had rejoiced that she seemed gay and
happy. Liza had once called Pegs at
tention to the rnerriment of her laugh.
II declare" she had said, 'she laughs
right out just the way I have always
wanted to all my life, only there never
was any reason big enough to justify
it. am glad she and Nan don't have
to scrimp quite as we did" Jennie had
never before spoken as to-day, and now
was heartily ashamed of herself.
Il don't know what. made me saw
all that" she said, apologetically, look
ing at the panied faces. "Of course
l am glad to be a Whitney, and we have
plenty of good times if we are poor and
plain
Yes said Liza, land the Whitneys
have always been respected in the
church here. Grandpa and pa were
both respected highly, and each was
superintendent of Sunday school five
years, you know
Yes, OF course they were," said Jen-
ME. Tremendously respected-so il
does not much matter that we girls
'aren' t-well, what the Springer girls
are"
THANK heavensi" said Liza, eve
aren't as foolish in our talk as they
are"
Jennie wore her own hat when she
went that afternoon with Jim Russell
70 the basket picnic over by the river.
she put on the freshly-ironed linen
lawn that had been Mans the summer
before, plnning it at the neck with
Peg's pin which had Grandma Whit
ney's hair in it.
Clothes look just like me-" she NUT
tered to herself, 'and like Peg and Sue
and Nan and Liza"
1t was u long drive to the bluffs.
Usually when Jennie went to picnics
with one of the boys she made an eff
fort to be ''sprightly;" to-day the IN
wonted bitter streak had mastery of
her and she sat in almost utter so3ence
even when ether buggies passed them
with gayly laughing Springer or Brown
girls in them.
He might have asked one of then,
IT he'd wanted a lively time" she
thought; and then remembered that
he probably had, and had then asked
her to show some one was glad to gc
with him.
Jim, too. was very quiet. He drove
carefully over the deep ruts in the road
his whole attention apparently cen,
tered on doing as little injury as posi-
bic to the springs of his buggy. As
sthey came near the end of the six,xnile
drive he suddenly turned to her.
Jennie" he said, Il have Away.
liked you first rate, as you know. Dc
you suppose you could ever love 1ns
enough to marry me?"
She stared at him, dumfounded
Was one of the Whitney girls having
proPosal! Another feeling succeeded