Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1898-03-30
SHE WAS POPULAR.

Su6 6hu ING OOuAu6 I'D see an ODpOECus
nifty and the Wit to Seize 1t.
II reckon she is the most popular
girl in town, said the southern girl
thoughtfully
The northern guest turned her eye
glasses upon thin, sensible look
ing young woman, whose dance pro-
gramme was filing at lightning rate.
She examined the belle carefully
and calculatively. Then she summed
up the result of her scrutiny in a
terse "Whyi"
The southern girl smiled. "Yes,
know she's not pretty, and she's
not stylish, and her father isn't very
rich, and she isn't either athletic or
romantic. Under ordinary circum-
stances she wouldn't go at all, but
all the men feel under obligation to
her."
'How's that2" asked her friend
well, you see, it was this way:
The family came here just before
New Years and took house in the
right part of the town. Then the
Carriers gave ball to introduce the
girl; so every one had to call on
her. You know we always keep
open house down here on New
Years day It's out of fashion up
north, but we keep open house all
the year round, and just open it a
little wider when the new year
comes along. It's lots of fun, but it
is rather hard on the men. Every
one serves wine and punch and ju-
leps and such things, and I reckon
there isn't man in town who can
go right through the programme,
satisfy every hostess, and then find
his night key when he goes home.
The northern girl looked shocked.
''You needn't look that way, the
other went on. Maybe we don't
feel just the way you do about
mans drinking, but I'll tell you one
thing. I never saw such hard drink
ing among women in my life as /
saw in New York and Washington
last winter. Then New Years day
is different anyway. We don't
count it. Every hostess gets out her
best wines and prides herself on the
quantity and quality of them. But
this Miss Wilson had great head.
She bod 1~o&houc Of hor oxr~ o-o<1 |
SO, New Years day, when some of
the men called there, they just
found desperately strong coffee, and
then on the buffet there we're ice
and settlers and lemons and all sorts
of things l don't know about, but
the men did. Everybody could just
go and mix what he needed most.
The men that called first passed the
word along, and there was a stream
of frook coats pouring into that
house all afternoon. The men went
on in their mad career, calling at
other places, until they began to see
double and feel like walking quad
ripple. Then they made break for
the Wilson house and got whatever
they usually take next morning.
Some of them called there two or
three times, and Miss Wilson and
her mother djdn't seem to mind at i.
all. They just told them to drop in
whenever they happened to be pass
ing that way, and the number of
times each man happened to be pass
ing was just in proportion to the {
of wine he could stand with {
out looking for comfort. Jack Bish- {
op was the only fellow that didn't
call on Miss Wilson at all. He said J
she was good sort, but that his !;
butler would be ready for him when
he got home, and he didn't want the
poor old chap to feel that he had out
lived his usefulness. There were
more men down to business the next 7
than on any I'd of January
since the town was started.
"See that big man just taking her a
'ard3 He's her fance. They say he /
aon't drink anything stronger than /
ginger abe. Neither does she. She t
'ays drinking is disgusting habit, t
put ii one cart reform society one F
nay as we'll help to keep it sober d
The men all insist that she'll be too
good wife to be wasted on tee
otaIeT New York Sun. =