Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-12-26
CHAPTER VIII.

Social circles at West Point at long,
rare intervals are shocked by scandal,
and at short ones, say every other sum
mer-are stirred by some kind of a
sensation, and the Fairy Sisters" were
the sensation of the year '97. They
came in July; they went in September,
and meanwhile they were ION the go"
as they expressed it, from morn till
late at night. Physically they were
the lightest weights known to the hop
room. Mentally, as their admirers in
the corps expressed it, "either Of them
can take a fall out of any woman at the
Point" and this was especially true Of
the elder-Mrs. Frank Garrison
whose husband was on staff duty in
the far west. Both were slight, fragile,
tiny blondes with light blue eyes, with
lighter, fluffy hair, with exquisite lit
tie hands and feet, with oval, prettily
shaped faces, and the younger, the
maiden sister, had bewitching mouth
and regular, snowy dots of teeth of
which she was justly proud. Yet, as
has been previously said of Mrs. frank,
while the general effect was in the case
OF each that of an extremely pretty
young girl, the elder had no really good
features, the younger only that one.
They generally dressed very much
alike in light, flimsy gowns and hats,
gloves and summer shoes all of daz-
zling white--sometimes verging for a
change to a creamy hue-but colors,
except for sashes and summer shawls,
seemed banished from their wardrobes.
They danced diyihely, said the corps,
and preferred cadet partners, to the
JOY OF the battalion. They rode fear
lessly and well, and had stunning hats
and habits, but few opportunities for
display thereof. They came tripping
down the path from the hotel every
morning, fresh and fair as daisies, in
time for guard mounting, and at any
hour after that could be found chat
ting with cadet friends at the visitors
tent, strolling arm in arm about the
shaded walks with some of their many
admirers until time to dress for the
evening hop, where they never missed
dance, and on rainy days, or on those
evenings, when there was neither hop
nor band practice, they could be found,
each in some dimly lighted, secluded
nook about the north OF west piazza
or on the steps leading down to the
Chain Battery Walk" sometimes sur
rounded by a squad Of cadet friends,
but more frequently in murmured
tete-a-tete with only one cavalier. In
the case Of Mrs, Frank no member OF
tho corps seemed especially favored.
She was just the same to every one.
In the case Of her younger sister-Miss
Terriss-there presently developed q
dashing young cadet captain who 30
scientifically conducted his campaign
that he headed off almost all compet-
itors and was presently accorded the
lead under the universally accepted
theory that he had won the little lady's
heart. Observant wonderland what
women are not obseryant-of each
other?-declared both sisters to be des-
perate flirts. Society at the Point
frowned upon them and, after the first
formal call or two, dropped them en-
tirely-a thing they never seemed to
resent in the least, or even to notice.
They were never invited out to tea or
dinner on the post-solemn functions
nowhere near so palatable as the whis-
pered homage of stalwart young man
hood. "Nita is yet such child she
infinitely prefers cadet society, and
always did like boys" explained Mrs.
Garrison. Some rather gay old boys
used to run up Saturday afternoons
on the Mary Powell and spend Sunday
at the Point-Wall street men of SO
years and much lucre. Dear old
friends of fathers" Mrs. Frank used
to say, land I've simply got to enter
tain them" Entertained they GER
tainly We're, for her wit and vivadity
were acknowledged on every side, and
entertained not only collectively, but
severally, for she always managed to
give each his hours confidential chat,
and on the Sundays of their coming
had no time to spare for cadet friends.
Moreover, she always drove down in
the big bus with them Monday morn
ing when the Powell was sighted COM
ing along that glorious reach from
Polopels island and stood at the edge
of the wharf waving her tiny kerchief
even blowing fairy kisses to them
a. &hn1y ~ nss,s w.