News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1900-11-21
THE MODERN FABLE.
Chicago News J


ly and Deserving Girl named Clara,
who was getting so near thirty that
she didn't want to talk about it. She
Travelled with the thoroughbred and
was always among those present; SO
it was hard to understand why she
hadn't married. Other girls not as
good looking or accomplished had
been grabbed off when they were buds.
Already some OF them were beginning
to act as chaDerons for Clara. They
were keeping tab on Clara's age, too,
and begun to think that she would
land on the bargain counter and have
to be satisfied with widower who
wore a toupee and dyed his eye,
brows.
Clara was something of a mind
reader. She knew that the friends of
her youth were predicting a hard fin
ish for her, so she decided to fool
them. And she knew that it behoov-
ed her to catch on before the children
started in to call her auntie.
Now it is not to be inferred that
Clara was what the underwriters call
a bad risk. She never had been a
drug on the market. When she went
to a hop she didn't have to wait for
ladies' choice in order to swing into
the mszy. In fact, she. had been en-
gagged now and then js$Bst for prac-
tice, and she had received offers from
some of the hold-over bachelors who
went around proposing from force oil
habit. But Clara was not out for
any man who had been turned down
elsewhere. She wanted the right kind
and she was going to do the picking
herself.
Having made an inventory of the
possibilities, she selected the treasur.
er of the shoe factory and decided
that she could love him without
straining herself. He was about her
own age and was almost as good
looking as Gibson man, and had
AL prospects. 1t would be no easy
job to land him, however, because the
competition was very keen and he
was wary, trying to be a kind friend
to every girl he knew, but playing no
favorites. He kept the parents guess.
ing. The treasurer of the shoe facto.
ry was what any society paper would
! call great catch.
Clara got busy with herself and
Matched a scheme. When ali the
smart set got ready TO pike away for
the heated term, Clara surprised her
friend by guessing she would remain
at home. 1t was the very thing to
do, because all the social head-liners
who could command the price were
supposed to flirt off to a summer no.
tel and loiter on the pine veranda and
try to think they were recuperating.
Clara told her mother to go, as us.
ual, but she would stay at home and
be companion to poor, lonesome
papa. So all the women went eff to
the resorts with their cameras and
talcum powder and witch hazel and
Clara was left in town with the men,
1t is traditional fact that there il
no social life in town during the dog
days. But there is nothing to pre-,
vent bright girl from starting some.
thing. That is what Clara did.
She stocked up the refrigerator and
hung hammock on the lawn with q
few easy chairs around it, The young
men marooned 10 town heard of The
good thing and no one had to teal
their garments to induce them tC
come. They arrived at the rate o
from seven to twelve night and dip
ped into papa's cigars and the liquiC
nourishment, regardless. Although
Clara had remained in town to act al
companion to papa, it was noticed
that when she had all the compan!
in the evening papa either had beel
chloroformed and put to bed or els
he had his orders to stay undo
cover.
Clara did not send for the treasure
of the shoe factory. She knew bette
than to go out after her prey. Sh
allowed him to find his way TO tn
house with the Others. When he cam
she did not chide him for failing t.
make his party call; neither did sh
rush toward him with a low cry {
Joy, thereby tipping her hand. Sh
knew that the treasurer of the sho
factory was next to all those board
ing school tactics and could not b
handled by the methods that go wit
the college students. Clara had Ell
joyed about ten years experience
handling the creatures and she ha
learned to labor and to wait. ST
simply led him into the circle an
took his order and allowed him to s
there in the cleaning and obserN
how popular she was. All the me
were scrapping to see which would |
next to sit in the hammock with he