The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1900-08-11
BECEIYERS EVER
By GWondolon ovorton


TT is all a mistake to suppose that
Il good Judgment and level head are
the outcome Of experience. They are
born, not acquired. The man Of the
world who has tried all things and held
fast that which is bad may go all to
pieces over some Henrietta, through
whose wiles the green boy from the
country district would see in an in
slant, The capitalist and the bank pres
Sdent fan victim to quite as many bunco
games as the farmer and the cowboy.
And the same lack of rule holds good
An the world of women. The blushing
maiden from French convent may be
suite as able to take care of herself as
the young woman who has absorbed
modern fiction, seen men and manners
OF many sorts and been given her own
head in an things, It is a matter Of
common sense and intuition, and it all
depends upon the girl.
But Miss Porter's father did not see.
that, He had theories to 1.-THE contrary
and he believed in letting a girl from
her earliest infancy see all she wanted
.of the world, that, having attained to
maturity, she might be able to judge
accurately for herself 1T was conn
Portable theory, moreoYeE, and saved
Judge Porter trouble. There were
those ifs s. ghhors and friends
of ts sr deceased mg ss
on e 6nit
3H omfV enid and Leu her run
ge of five little Miss Porter
sourmet; smoked her Gig rettes
air, and swore fuently. But
W Be age Of 90 she was as innocent
r. not as ignorant-as the aforesaid
convent maiden is popularly supposed
% be.
1t was at this period that she met
sCalverley. He was English, and hand
some and agreeable. One of her not
entirely unobjectionable girl friends
Had presented him, and, after the Gus
tom Of America, and more especially
.of the west, nothing further was nee
essary. IF Miss Porter thought about
it at all she thought it would have been
the height of folly and inhospitality to
have asked further questions.
But by and by one of the aforesaid
friends of her mother decided, after
much prayer and fasting, that it was
her obvious duty to warn Miss Porter,
since there was no one else to do it.
She trembled at the necessity. Once,
an the days of Miss POrter's tender in
fancy, some other good advice had been
met with a storm of bad language, at
the mere memory of which the good
lady had shuddered and shriVeled ever
since. But that had been long years
before. Miss Porter's language was
moderate now, not only moderate but
slightly British, as appeared when she
received her mothers friend and led
her to a coy corner and proceeded to
brew tea.
The fve-o'clock tea habit had never
been very strong with Miss Porter
Doubtless it was another result of the
influence of CalVerley-who was just
then in the library across the hall
smoking and reading and making him
self entirely at home.
81 saw YOU at the theater the other
aight," began the elder woman.
fsYes," said Miss Porter.
ssWho was the man you were with%
It was the scandal of Miss Porter'l
set-which was a good one in spite OF
all-that she did without chaperon'
upon most occasions. 81 daresay il
was Mr.. Calverley," said Miss Porter
She knew it was, and SO did the other
"CaEerley2 Do know him? What
8s the rest of his name?"
Miss Porter tried not to look PROUD
as sha spoke the sonorOus syllables anC
emphasized the hyphen. ut was Giles
Hartpole Clayton-CaIyerleJ, she said
tOht" said her mothers friend; "anC
where is he frOm?"
BE was from England, from London
a0ht" she said again; sand who i
heg
Miss Porter informed her that he wa
wen connected -splendidly connected
She was little vague, but that was be
cause she could not keep all the name
81 her tongues end.
How had she met him? Itwas becom
ing decidedly sross-questioning, AM
Miss Porter raised her brows. Their
was the same look in the baby-olue eye
beneath them that had preceded tn