Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-06-29
SOMETHING ABOUT GIRLS.
Dedicated to "Pollyr by"Joker."J

another class of girls which we tern
"Big girls at home" q hope"Polly'
don't belong to this class.) Big nui
sances, they are sometimes termed by
their brothers, as there is generally
open warfare between them. IF the
boys can rifle the big girls work box
or writingdesk they consider it @
noble exploit: and if the big girl can
annoy one of her brothers in the same
way, she always does it with relish
How she delights in discovering and
making public any little bit of secret
gallsntry or sweet-hearting on the
part of one of her brothers, and how
sharp she is In finding it out. Curios-
ity of girls exceeds that of boys. The
big girl at home is rather an anomaly,
One hour she is aping the airs of a
grown-up young lady, the next she is
romping with her brothers or having
avigorous go at the swing in the back
yard or garden, and you don't have
to go to the city to find this out.
Big girls are generally great friends
with the servant, or servants; Mary
Jane tells her all about her young
man and the big girl listens
with great gravity and advises
with much solemnity: indeed,
she not unfrequently has some little
secret of her own to confide to the
sympathetic ears of Mary Jane, and
consequently thereis bond of friend
ship between them, which is inexpli-
cable to the rest of the family. Heads
of families look at their big girls at
home occasionally and wonder what
on earth they are to do with them,
more especially if they are blessed
with a goodly number. But years
after, when the big girls have all
taken to themselves wings and flown
away, many solitary parent longs
to hear their tramp and clatter. Yes,
many happy "reminiscences of the big
girl crowd upon us as we write, and
many of the girls who form part of
those "reminiscences are now happy
wives and mothers. But in few
cases we fear that the cheerful smile
has gone from the once happy face
forever, through misplaced affection,
resulting in unhappy marriages.
In conclusion / will mention one
other class, and they are old girls.
Old girls are not an inspiring spec
tacle; there is too much Of the light
of other days about them, and let
them get themselves up as they will,
let them pile on the juvenility as
much as possible, very few are
deceived in them; they are old girls,
and somehow people cannot help
feeling sorry for them. When a
married woman reaches the age of
five or six-and-thirty she is matron
in every sense of, the word, and
she knows it, and does not attempt
to appear otherwise, but a single
lady of that age very frequently
desires to be called a girl, although,
if she had any sense, she must know
that no one can be deceived in hsr
age, let her do her level best to cun-
ceal it. Old girls generally affect a
very juvenile style of dress, but this
very often has quite the opposite effect
desired. Old girls abound at the
seaside; you may follow trim,
girlish figure, with hair flowing in
childish fashion all down her back.
and feel perhaps that you would like
to see the countenance Of the young
lady whose figure you admire; pres
entity she turns to retrace her steps
down the pier, when, to your un-
speakable horror, you behold a
countenance that would stop an
automobile or that might belong to a
grandmother, SO wrinkled, so dried
up are the wouldbe youthful features
OF the old girl. If old girls would only
take up their proper position in the
world, if they could only grow old
gracefully, and, instead of posing as
girls, fearlessly proclaim themselves
women, women of mature age, there
would never be any of this o9ium
which attaches itself naturally to
old girls. If they would only respect
themselves, everyone else would
respect them. Old age, either in
men or women, is nothing to be
ashamed of, and there is no doubt
that in every stage of life chum