The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1896-03-05
A WHITNEY GIRL.
BY KATHERINE BATES.

"After ALL she looks best in Mans
hat"
"No, she doesn't. Mans needs little
more loose hair around her face; as
hong as hers won't curl, she had better
kwear Pegs broad one that sets well
hown on her head"
The girl who stood before the glass
krying on her sisters hats turned I'M
patiently. "Good gracious!" she said.
ls'Wbat earthly difference does it make
Ejust how l do look? If only you girls
could make up your minds that aiu
|real down homely, life would be good
deal simpler for us all. Every time am
asked anywhere we go through all this,
|end no one cares two pins how one OF
the Whitney girls loolls!"
The four older sisters locked very un-
comfortable. Don't talk like that,
bJennie,' Peg, the oldest, said, at last.
"Well, it is true" Jennie answered.
''You never had the sort of times other
girls have, did you? l know Nan and
II never had any attention shown us
hrom the time we were chosen last to
play games at school up to now, when
I'VE are only asked to moonlight pic
mics and surprise parties by the boy
&Vho makes up his mind to go too late
10 get any other girl. ! suppose it was
the same way with you, and Liza and
Eue."
The five women stood and looked
lat each other. They were all tall and
painfully thin, with prominent cheek
bones and sunken eyes. Their mother
had died Of consumption, and it was
confidently expected in the neighbor.
hood that the girls would eventually
Ego 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 n slightly red
dish shade to it, which made her look
tmore positively alive than her sisters.
. They had thought her pretty, had rev.
had rejoiced that she seemed gay and
happy. Liza had once called Pegs at
tention to the merriment of her laugh.
"I declare" she had said, "she laughs
right out just the way have always
wanted to all my life, only there never
was any reason big enough to Justify
st. I 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 say
all that" she said, apologetically, look
ing at the panied faces. "Of course
I am glad to be Whitney, and we have
plenty of good times if we are poor and
plain"
"Yes," said Liza, "and 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 wcre," said Jen-
ME. Tremendously respected-so it
does not much matter that we girls
Aren't--well, what the Springer girls
are"
THANK heavens!" said Liza, 1--WE
aren't as foolish in our talk as they
are."
Jennie wore her own hat when she
went that afternoon with Jim Russell
to the basket picnic over by the river
She put on the freshly-ironed linen
lawn that had been Mans the summer
before, pinning it at the neck with
Pegs pin which had Grandma Whit.
ney's hair in it.
Clothes look just like me-" she NUT
tered to herself. "and like Peg and Sus
and Nan and Liza"
1t was long drive to the bluffs
Usually when Jennie went to picnic.
with one of the boys she made an ef
fort to be "sprightly;" to-day the un
wonted bitter streak had mastery O
her and she sat in almost utter science
even when ether buggies passed then
with gayly laughing Springer or Brown
girls in them.
HE might have asked one of then
II he'd wanted lively time," sh'
thought; and then remembered tina
he probably had, and had then aske,
her to show some one was glad to Y
with him.
Jim, too, was very quiet. He drov
8 carefully over the deep ruts in the road
his whole attention apparently cen
tered on doing as little injury as poss
BILE to the springs of his buggy. A
they came near the end Of the six-mil
drive he suddenly turned to her.
"Jennie." he said, II have alway
liked you first rate, as you know. D
you suppose you could ever love m
enough to marry me?"
She stared at him, dumfoundet
Was one Of the Whitney girls having
proposal. Another feeling succssds