The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-07-06
JUST ABOUT GIRLS.

NAAAd5O 1NCIOlA- 1uE2 lldQ q
furnished house for six months in one
of the north shore suburbs and had
just begun to enjoy themselves, when
the first family jar occurred. There
were seven of them, counting the cook
and the cooks youthful son, whose
diligent habit it was to cut two, and
some mornings even three. square feet
of grass in the front lawn and then
spend the rest of the day down on the
beach skipping stones. There was the
young matron, who retained the posi-
ton of housekeeper by always coincid-
ing with the cook and making mild eff
forts to control and direct the cratic
course of the juvenile man of all work.
There was the beautiful fend, who won
and held her title because OF her eX-
quisite face and ardent tireleSsness in
practicing Yocally and fundamentally,
for she was perfecting her musical ed
ucatiOn. OF course the bicycle girl was
there and in her element. The sixth
regular member of the household was
the genius-the stylish, the busy, the
bright one, who went TO her Office in
town on the early train and came back
at sunset as freshly tailor-made look
ing as when she departed in the cool
OF the country morning. The last was
the intermittent resident, who made
flying trips 10 , ew York and Denver
on business, who was masculine in
gender, and in love with his wife
which last was not remarkable, for the
young matron was almost as pretty as
the beautiful fiend herself, with the
overwhelming advantages of not being
music mad or having d mission"
What do you think?" asked the BIZ
cycle girl suddenly appearing at the
door of the room where the young
matron sat before the sewing machine,
sadly contemplating the sleeves of her
new shirtwaist, both of which she had
witlessly constructed for the right arm.
She turned toward her excited inter
lOcutOr and replied, mOurnfully, L
never think; look at them" and she
held the duplicate sleeves up as proof
of her statement That IS, she added,
never till afterward.'
The bicycle girl ignored such trivial
tiles, evidently being the bearer of
momentOus tidings. She made no other
reply than to throw herself into a
steamer chair covered with an Oriental
hanging, cross her gathered ankles and
begin TO draw off her gloves with vi
cious little jerks. Whereupon the
young matron came out OF her mel
ancholy trance, for when the bicycle
girl. who was usually amiability itself.
showed signs of irritation it BODIED
something out of the ordinary.
What's happened, dear2" asked the
young matrOn, putting the cover on
the sewing machine. Have you brok-
en- your record at last by having just
a common everyday puncture. or is it
something really serious?'
The bicycle girl rolled her chamois
skin gloves into a small, hard ball, took
accurate aim at the household cat and
brought him back from the land of
dreams. Then she turned TO her COM
panion.
Have you noticed the beautiful fiend
lately? For the last seven days she
hasn't played a note, sung a scale or
eaten a single spring onion. when she
knows we all only tolerate them on
the table for her sake. She's simply
mooned around and watched the clock,
ard gone away for hours every after
noon and come back looking positively
silly with happiness. Wen, she's in
love"
Never cried the young matron.
1T isn't in her. With her voice, her
dramatic ability, and all her plans
made to satisfy her artistic ambitions
you are mistaken, child
Just then high, sweet voice rose
up from the lower hail. lilting love
song. The. two women listened in 81
lence as the singer ascended the stairs,
passed through the intervening rooms
and stood on the threshold OF the one
in which they sat Then the song died
as suddenly as it had been born, for
there was no mistahing the stern ques-
tioning of the two faces, nor their
accusing doubt. The beautiful fiend
looked from one TO the other. and as
she looked the color deepened in her
cheeks and spread to her chin and lost
itself under the light hair on her brow.
The bicycle girl turned to the young
go, = 7a1 rtsfH l. a
cruelty, but in triumph. The young
matrOn ignored her, but she rose and
drew the beautiful fiend, who blushed
furiously. into the room, and then she
asked, with just a perceptible tremor:
Who is he2 The lanky one with the
glasses. or the handsome blonde, or
the freckled one that / like2'
'Oh, you are too unkindr shuddered
the beautiful fend, taking away her
hands and hiding her face in them.
Just becaUue I've been seen with the
same man once or twice, you imagine
goodness knows what, and stir your
selves all up about it, when it amounts
10 nothing"
Haven't you been getting yourself
engaged this last week?' demanded
the bicycle girl ineXorably.
But the young matron interpOsed.
My dear girl" she began. her solem-
nifty being softened by her mode of ad-
dress. surely you cannot De IOOlSn
enough to fancy you can ever make
him happy, whoever he is, if you have
to give up your career for him WOm-
en- with artistic aspirations never E-ake
happy, devoted. steady going wives.
They careen through life like small
yachts without enough ballast. Be
sensible there's a dear, and tell US
about it: then I'll have an interview
with him. and it can all be settled COM
fort q lafN- for bod
For the first time in her life judging
by the surprise It caused the others. the
beautiful fiend proved herself made of
common clay by completely losing her
temper.
You two are as narrow minded and
suspicious as you can be. and l detest
you both. and, what's more. / shan't
tell you a single blessed thing till I
know how much you know already"
With that she sat down on the window
seat with so much energy that she
made herself wink.
The young matron waved her hand
toward the bicycle girl, thereby indi-
eating that she took no further respon-
sibility in the maIttr. The bicycle girl
looked at her reproachfully, but, as
she appeared not to notice it, the for
mer murmured something about how
especially blind are those who viii not !
see.and then bravely turning TO the /
beautiful fined-whose face at that mo- I
me7t was as resentful as it was fair |
she said: ITO begin with, you're a per- |
feet little hypocrite."
The young matron gasped and /
glanced fearfully toward the accused, |