The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-01
THE MAYHEM C0TILLI0N.
Juliet Wilbor TOmpkins in the San Fran
olson Vrawa

divan in the library Dot wrote 10 her
best friend. and then not word. look.
or sign for two whole weeks. When he
went away Sunday there were violets in
his eye II ever l saw the symptoms
Why. / loked for them all the next day,
and if 1 had known his florist, Ia have
telephoned down to ask why they hadn't
been sent. Not a violet, not marion,
not note, not even a book II he doesn't
give some sign Of life before long. first
thing he knows III be in love with him.
and how Will he ike that2 How VIII /
like II. / WOnderE' And Dot stopped 10
give herself "A little grin in the glass
Its very clever of him to throw of on me
Just now, she added. impartially- BE
fore that Sunday. ! shouldn't have given
II a thought, Tor l didn't believe he was
really 50 nice as he seemed. ] didn't sup
pose anyone could be But he Is, unfor-
tunately. Oh. dear Maisie, / wish you
could see him. No, don't, either not till
you're old and ugly. He told me he
thought Platonic friendships might be pos
sible, but would be deadly slow. Wasn't
mat nice Of him. l can't bear a man who
feels d simple. honest friendship for you
without any sentimental nonsense. Both
erationi Here's a caller, and I'm not
dressed. That comes of writing letters
on your day at home" And Dot dried her
pen and made a leisurely toilet, rejecting
that II people would come so early, they
ought to be kept waiting little.
Later in the day she added postscript
to her letter
Il take it all back, Maisie. Here is the
dearest note from him, taking everything
up just where we left it that Sunday,
without a word about the long interval
between, and asking me to dance the CO.
tillion at the Mayhew's party with him.
considering that II is day after tomorrow
and the invitations have been out two
weeks, it's rather delicious of him. 1t
never seems to enter his head that l might
be engaged for il. And the funny part
is, I'm not. Pride isn't one of my vices.
and I've deliberately saved 1t for him:
Karl has been bothering the life out Of
me, but / kept him off by telling him 1
wasn't sure I'd stay for the cotillion. He
will be wild, poor dear boy but can
make II all right with him some way. l
sent a most cordial little note Of accept
ance, which ] was tempted to date the
eleventh hour but didn't. His serene in
dependence is quite the most fetching
thing l ever encountered. Good-by again,
II was nearly a week before Dot wrote
again:
sic, but there is such a thing as carrying
II too far" she began I'm in state OF
boiling wrath, and l don't think Karl en-
Joyed the cotillion very much. on, yes, l
danced It with Karl. Whom did you
think / was going to dance with2 Well, j
might as well tell you all about 1t. The
H,ioIets rnateriafizad tbe unorninr Of me
party-such beauties-not from Karl,
you understand, and / went prepared to
be my very incest to Somebody. In the
dressing room before we went down sew
eral of us were discussing our partners
for the cotillion, and karls sister Emily
she's an awful bore, and / can't bear
her-announced that hers was this same
Somebody! simply gasped. Il thought
he was away one Of them said. he has
been for over two weeks Emily answered
with conscious pride. as though she had
heard from him every day. 1 happened
to meet him on a car the morning he left,
and l promised TO dance il with him IL
he got home in time, so last night he
telephOned that he was back. You can
imagine how was enjoying all this. /
I'D 10 fal faff ha viz
them down under some wraps for though
! wanted to believe she was bluthng,
enough, he went right up to her and said
something about my partner the minute
she came into the room. Then he turned
and started to speak to me, but that was
nod and sailed off with Karl, and he ac-
tually looked surprised. Perhaps he had
Emily and me. independence certainly is
a beautiful thing. What possessed him to
do It? That's what / want to know. He
tried half dozen times to make IL up with
me but met such dead cold frost every
time that he finally gave II up. I've read
his note over again and again, and l can't
make il mean anything else Well, IN Sor-
ry it is all over, for he was the incest man
that ever mangled my feelings. I'm flu
rious at him, and furious at myself for
caring. / think must have somewhere in
me touch of the original squaw, who
loves her lord the better for every beating
he favors her with. He has left me adora-
cause he'll never have a chance to do il
again. / thought he might make one more
attempt to patch it up between us, so
gave orders / was not at home when he
called. Sure enough, he came this very af
ternoon, and had no more than gone down
the steps when Karl dashed up them and
was admitted. He saw 1t all, and you
should have seen the expression of his
back as he walked Off suppose the APP
propriate thing now Is for me to fall in
love with Karl out of pique. l believe
would If he didn't have such an absolute
ninny of sister. Emily and | would not
hit it off together We'll well, It hSsnt
neglected dot"
5sbear Maisie-I think you're a mean,
cross, disagreeable girl, not to be more
svmpathetic. l don't see anything to
laugh at in the situation, and l wasn't
planning to treat Karl in the same way
at all, for had been particularly careful
not to make him any promises about the
cotillion. l can't help 1t If he took it into
for what he thinks. SO your horried, un-
friendly little served you right doesn't
apply Oh, dear, there's no use quarrel
ing with you just because I'm not on
sat next to him at dinner last night with
Karl on the other side of me, of course,
| wish people wouldn't insist on putting
Karl and me together everywhere Our
dinner cards always seem to be looking
knowingly at each other, and the very
servants wait on US with bless-you-my-
children air. Lately I've tried talking al
most entirely with the man who didn't
take me out, as a hint to my hostess, but
last night, naturally, I couldn't. We frig-
idly ignored each other. that independent
Young man and l. and I'm sure his right
ear was frozen by the third course;
know I've had rheumatism in my left
shoulder ever since. had to be awfully
nice to Karl, and now he will bother the
life out of me for weeks to come. l can't
lose him. AS we got up from the table,
without any warming my neghbor turned
to me and demanded Did you ever re-
ceive some violets / sent you not long
ago.? 1t took my breath away. but /
managed to drawl: Why. really don't re-
member and it was over. We haven't
spoken since. Did he think that bunch
of violets was a sufficient apology for
throwing me over, as you suppose? What
possessed him to ask me in the first place,
il he was already engaged to Emily?
can't make it out, and there doesn't seem
any possible explanation. I've puzzled
over it until I'm dead tired of the whole
subject Society is a dreadful bore, any
way l don't think I'll go out any more
after this year. Write soon and stop maxi
ing fun of your forlorn old Dot"
It was a couple of weeks later that an
a hurried vvlv