The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-09-23
IusT ABOUT Girls.
Why julie Thanked corinue for the

Chicago Record: COrinne was reading
aloud in a steadfast, monotonous FASH
ion. The yellow card that peeped from
between the pages said that 1t was a
public library book and the words on
its back were "The Descent OF MAN.
An odd feature of this copy was the
fact that, while the frst six pages were
solled. thumb-marked, worn to tatters,
patched together. and filled as to mar
gin with penciled definitions Of words
used in the text, the pages beyond were
decidedly new and fresh.
corinne had just turned the fifth page
when her eyes began to twinkle.
$50 we fnd,'" she droned on, with
out change Of tone, "'that the anthro-
pomorphous man is rapidly becoming
extinct. In Washington, D. c., how
ever-a desolate region where nothing
is grown save a few llchens and moss
the mlcrocephalous biped. both prog
nathous and otherwise, is occasionally
discovered"
She stole glance over the top OF the
book. Julie embroidered away serene
ly; Harriet was deep in the renaissance
lace piece she was doing; Lillian was
weaving the thread under and over and
over and under in the beautiful darn
she was making.
Corinne laid the volume in her lap.
That's a strong point, isn't it?" she
inquired, and every one looked up with
a little start.
80 1t Isl" Eyes, indeed" "very!"
came from around the circle.
Then corinne dropped her head back
against the cushion and gave herself
up to wicked mirth.
Nothing save a few llchens and
moss in, Washington" she cried from
the midst of her laugh. 'Anthropo-
morpheus mem! Oh. my attentive au-
dlence! Here I've been reading on
nonsense out of my own little head for
the last three paragraphs, and you
never knew 1t from Darwln!"
There was no use trying to be dlgni-
fied. 1t was just as well to laugh as to
sit and look foolish. So the others join
cd in.
corlnne recovered first and she de-
posted the book gently but firmly on
the floor.
Bother trying to dig for knowledge
in hot weather, anyway" she said, as
she famed herself with a handkerchief
and waxed warm with the exercise
thereof. tits all out of season! And
this one-read-and-th e-rest-sew plan
there's only one way to make 1t work,
and that's to give me something lively
to read to you. III make a proposition.
girls. I'VE been thinking 1t up while 1
was reading.
Its a dare though. and I don't be-
lieve you'll agree. But what do you
say to bringing, each of you, when We
meet tomorrow. all the letters you've
received for week past and letting rue
look through them and read aloud such
extracts as think will interest the
crowd? You'd listen to them, I'm sure.
Do you dare?'
SO 1t came about. and you'd have been
surprised to see what a heap Of letters
lay in Corinne's lap when the girls gath
cred next day.
"Are you sure you brought every
one?" she questioned. Honor bright,
now? Julie, you didn't say yes!"
"oh, neutrality-suspicious." cried
Julie, too busy threading her needle
with rose-colored silk to deny more
fully
And CorInne began.
"Hum-m-m." she murmured, casting
her eye down the first page of a letter.
This Is from Maggie Towne In Cuba.
Here: 4 saw an advertisement of n
millinery opening and went to see what
it was like. 1 was richly rewarded, too.
for what l found was a small room,
with a little Cuban perched on a high
stool In the middle OF the room. His
ouce-wfiitc shirt hung down over his
trousers, and there was long Spanish
cigar in his mouth. but he was trim
ming hats for all he was worth, There
were a few French plates around him.
and every one OF his hats was red. white
and blue, because those are favorlte
colors Yin Cuba this year That's not
bad" commented CorInne as she skim
med over the rest OF the letter; only
Julie looks as distracted as though l
were reading Darwin Any one would
think her whole life depended on her
getting the third petal In that wild rose
exactly SO. and that abe couldn't give a
thought to another thing!
Maggie ends this letter by wishing
herself back In ChlcaGo--'the only place
in the worldr There's loyalty for you!
Here's Mays handwriting. You know
she's been summerlny ut Babylon, l..
l., quiet little village. with Just one
street car. which runs through the place
every half hour and uuc policeman
to keep wheels off the sidewalk And
she's longing, too. Tor = drive ON the
lake shore. She says; The climate here
seems almost cnervatinE. / quite IN
dcrstand why the Dutch settlers don't
resist the English. II was because they
couldn't get or their doorsteps to get
their guns. and / can sec. too, how little
they must have known Of nerves
Look at julio, WIN you. shc doesn't
knnv a word read Wait until I get
hold OF an envelope addressed 70 her.
- = -
Bon .