The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-03-27
SHE WAS POPULAR.

II reckon is the most popular
girl in town, said the southern girl
thoughtfully
The northern guest turned her eye
glasses upon a thin, sensible look
ing young woman, whose dance pro-
gramme was filling at lightning rate.
She examined the belle carefully
and calculatively. Then shesummed
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 ism I 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 a 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
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 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 a
mans drinking, but I'll tell you one
thing. | 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 had brothers of her own, and
SO, New Year day, when some OF
the men called there, they just
found desperately strong coffee, and
then on the buffet there were ice
and settlers and lemons and all sorts
of things / 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 stream
of frock coats pouring into that
house all afternoon. The men went
on in their mad career, calling al
other places, until they began to see
double and feel like walking quad,
ruple Then they made break fol
the Wilson house and got whatever
they usually take next morning.
"Some of them called there two OF
three times, and Miss Wilson and
her mother didn't seem to mind al
all. They just told them to drop il
whenever they hap ned to be pass
ing that way, ana the number o.
times each man happened to be pass
ing was just in proportion to the
: amount of wine he could stand with
out looking for comfort. Jack Bish
op was the only fellow that didn''
call on Miss Wilson at all. He sait
she was a good sort, but that hi.
butler would be ready for him whel
he got home, and he didn't want thu
poor old chap to feel that he had out
lived his usefulness. There weIt
more men down to business the mex
> morning than on any I'd of January
since the town was started.
"See that big man just taking he
: cardi He's her fiance. They say b.
don't drink anything stronger thai
ginger ale. Neither does she. Sh'
says drinking is disgusting habit
but if one can't reform society on
may as well help to keep it sober
The men all insist that she'll be to-
} good a wife to be wasted on tee
totaler. New York Sun.