The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-01-21
THEY REFORMED.

Some one had called her frivolous. She
was just 20, and at 20 one can afford to
weep bitterly in pink boudoirs
Life seemed very gray, indeed, for about
l5 minutes, and then the silver lining ap
peared, and with it even faint ros, t1nge
which the heavenly tailor sometimes tucks
into the seams of his smartest clouds
And SO she smiled
81 am going TO be sensible" she said
and stuck a ferocious looking dagger
through the mass of braids at the back Of
her head. Sensible and serious, and I
Van Buren, used to say.
81 am going to the Astor library this
very minute, and the next time Mr.. Van
Setback comes to see me he will not go
away and tell that horrid dowdy, Nell Den
ham, that am a pretty little featherhead'
oh, dearl oh, dear! if he had only said it
to any one else in the world, but to that
girl, who still wears fourth hand ties and
big sleeves, as Noah's family did when it
came out of the ark and doesn't know this
years style of sailor hat from last years -
And SO she hied herself off to the Astor
library.
Amaryl1is was looking very sad when
Frivole arrived. She didn't have Frivole' s
rose and cream complexion nor Frivole's
merry laugh. But Frivole didn't appreci-
ate her blessings that morning. The first
thing she did was to begin to sob.
s'Friyole, dear, what is it?''
"Oh, nothing, only 1 wish-1 wish
could have a little wrinkle in my forehead
like you, and then people would say I
thought sometimes. %
Amaryllis rang for tea.
I'm SO discouraged, Amaryllis," and
she rolled her handkerchief into ball and
dabbed each eye.
81 want to be sensible and serious, and
1 don't know how 1 want to be clever
your And such picture of appealing
misery the silver teapot had scarce reflect
ed before
Amaryllis looked Mortified
"Mr. Van Schaick, the awfully clever
one, who writes books and is lawyer and
is going to congress and all that, you
know, newell, he called once and awhile,
and he said 1 was f-featherhead- Oh,
what a dreadful wordp'
"And you wish to please this gifted
creature?'' said Amaryllis, dropping a lump
Of sugar into Frivole's tea. Suppose you
read some Take up course of history.
Dolly Madison is a fad just now. Read
up Dolly and the war of 1912. War makes
good small talk these days, and if he IS 60
ing to congress-
ut sounds very hard, !" faltered the am
bilious one "But I'll try
"That's right dear. Now I'll conf1de In
you. Frivole, I want to be frivolous
"Oh, Amaryllis!"
sim tired of being learned. 1 want to
know how to be attractive and pleasant
when people are tired as well as when they
are fresh and ready to listen and argue.
want to be like you. Now tell me how.
You never weary people or task their in
tellects or upset their nerves. You amuse
them and refresh Them
"Oh, talk nonsense and wear pretty
dresses, and when the atmosphere is sad
just curl your hair all over. 1 think you
are awfully foolish though. 1 don't know
much about anything else, but mamma
always said flirt was born a flirt, and I
think you would not be half SO nice If you
were frivolous, Amaryllis."
So they parted
It was fragrant and softly gloomy In the
1amplghted music room, and Frivole,
looking rather white and anxious, sat bolt
upright on the piano stool.
All day she had been "studying liter
allure" and improving her mind.'' Kings
and queens were to her as SO many puppets
Paganism and civilization were mere
words to play with. She was well up in
literature. It was novel position for Fri
vole, and when Mr.. Van Schaick was ush-
cred in he was surprised. She didn't run
into the hall to meet him with some alb
surd welcome which he heard, misunder-
stood and analysed as charming. She
didn't laugh and shake her hand vigorous
ly and then sit down with cloud of frills
around her and chatter to him.
Alas, she did nothing Of the kindl He
awoke her from scene of carnage when
he entered, and she raised two brilliant
eyes and flushed face from her book, adj
vanced with intense suffering depicted on
every feature, and wringing his hand said:
ooh, Mr.. Van Setback, how glad am
to see you'll Wasn't 1t perfectly dreadful
about poor Mary, queen of Scots?''
Tt was very unkind of him, but Mr.. Van
Schaick went away to the mountains next
day. He declared that his nerves were COM
pletely shaken up.
Amaryllis shook the silver tea bell an
grily, and Frivole allowed two meandering
tears to caress her pink cheeks.
"WeI, it's a consolation, anyhow,
Amaryllis, to know that you were not a
success"
Thanks said Amaryllis.
"What did they say when you tried to be
like me?'
"Well, don't like to seem rude, Frivole,
dear, but the family wouldn't listen. They
simply absconded. The girls all said had
turned into 'Dodo.' You remember Dodo
In the book who talked about her baby as
a landed proprietor and wished she could
be a Christian martyr, SO that her fingers
would curl up like bacon when they burn
ed her at the stalker
"Then my laugh-you know you laugh
all the time, Frivole-well, my laugh
scared Bob SO that he knocked over vase
which father brought from Egypt, and
they all concluded that I was hysterical
and had better take vacation
'sPoor Amaryllisl I'll go with you, If
my gray frock comes home"
'And what did Mr.. Van Schaick say
after you tried to open the conversation
"Say? Why, he almost tainted, and
well, I don't think he appreciates clever,
cultured women. 1t all depends on what
one is used to, I suppose"
And then they drank some more tea
Exchange
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