Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-29
GIRLS WHO HAVE BROTHERS

Have you any idea how popular you be-
come If you are a girl whose brother is en-
tering upon the dancing and eligible stage?
1t is thing really beautiful to contem-
plate. the sweet affection and thoughtful
ness OF the girls who either know or want
to know your brother 1t is one of several
pleasant things connected with the growing
up of what was a small brother. Some of
the other pleasant things are his being able
at last to see matters In a good deal the
same light as you do. being able to discuss
books and pictures and people with moder-
ate intelligence, being able to act as an es-
cort In default Of any one better-that is,
some other girls brother-and being able
to carry on a conversation for several min
utes in the presence of your best beau
without seriously putting his foot In It.
But all these are as nothing compared TO
your new popularity. Girls call that never
called before The debutantes cover you
with delicate attentions. If you are of an
unsuspicious disposition you will think the
charm lies in yourself: but If you are mod
erately sharp you will see through 1t, and
this Difference from the debutantes will
make you feel how seasons are piling up
upon your head.
You are invited to small affairs OF the buds
that reason will tell you you would not be
thought an addition to were IL not for the
halo of glory that young man brother
poiSes above your brow. You see so much
of the fine side of girl nature that you
gradually reform the rather severe judg-
ments that you made from your own expe-
riences with your own sex; perhaps girls
are better than you believed after all.
There is Lot much danger of your ever
having tco good an opinion of girl nature,
however. For May will IN the course of
nice, cozy afternoon tea chat tell you how
unidy less and Dodo and Lily are, and
how Katy and Julia and Clara and ''all the
other girls" smoke cigarettes, and how
Lizzie and II len and Anna and Maud let
the men hold their hands And Bess or
Julia or Helen VIII drop in some morning
and tell you just about the same thing,
only that Mays name VIII appear in all the
lists of sinners and the speakers name will
be conspicuous by its absence. Then you
realize that the coming girl is not much
more of saint than you are. They talk TO
you in contidinS sort Of way. rather as il
you were the elder sister that they would
like to have sou be some day.
The other day / did n mean thing. 1t
was hot, oh, SO hot, and being but a vain
and frivolous woman / was putting on
the stiffest white shirt waist. with col
lar ten times stiffer,a tic-the sort that YOU
tie yourself-stiffer still and a duck skirt
sitter than all of these rui together. My
patent feathers were as unpliable only
patent feathers can be. my white gloves
bound my hands and diGa't look clean
as L liked, either; there was "A ha!ipin
stuck in al torturing angle. ard my Veil
would not hang in graceful folds. Let me
impress upon you again that ii was >
on the hot side of the house, and that L
was not comfortable. Also that | was
having to turn out in The blaze of midday
TO make a call on some one | didn't par
ticularly fancy. There came "A gentle rap
at my door IL WAS the japanese house
boy with card on a tray. IL was the
card of one of the sweet young girls, one
whom L don't like over we'll. 1 knew that
that girl knew my brother was at home.
that she hoped to See him far more than
she wanted to see me. So 1 said to the
japanese that the card WAS meant for MIR.
Jack You can tell "A Japanese that SORT
of thing: he doesn't know any better and
he thinks We occidentals ave about mad
anyway. fama probably thought it all
rlgnt IN America for girl TO send her
card to a man, so without hesitation he
took it to my brothers room. ] watched
and saw Jack go down 10 his caller v tn a
perplexed and a rather bored expression
On his face. BY and by | rattled DELHI
erately down in my sta:ched white attire
and simulated surprise at the sight of that
girl: She wanted to know if the boy
hadn't taken me her card. j didn't fb.
L Just avoided a direct reply and said:
What did he do with the card?" 'IIe
brought it TO me- said Jack. "Oh. those
thought ii was Jack you wanted TO See"
said /. And then told her that | really
had to go out as / had an engagement,
but that 1 hoped she'd stop and amuse
my brother. And she did.
I know a girl that has about the incest
brother in town. The girl is an awful
bore, and she's catfish and hateful too
but dear me! how all the other girls do
love her. How they make her handker-
chiefs and embroi6eres that show off their
needlework; how those who are too proper
to give the brother their photographs lay
them at the sisters shrine: how many
'sprees' she gets invited to that brother
less girls sigh for in vain: how her opin-
ion is catered to; how her jokes are laugh
ed at and her eternal stories of conquests
impossible she ever should have made are
listened TO with rapt attention. j know be-
cause 1 like the brother myself. and
though I don't bow down to and worship
her quite as some of the girls do. / frankly
admit that / am pretty nice 10 her whereas
under other circumstances | wouldn't toll
crate her. 1 suppose it's human nature.
That girls n goose. She hasn't an idea
that 1t isn't she who attracts, which
makes her still more insupportabe. As
for the brothers of sisters. I can't make
out whether they see through IL all or not.
Men are such mean, close-mouthed things.