The suburban citizen., 1900-06-30
LARENCE ARNOLD was COM
ing home after an absence of
eight years. Ny father had

over the civilized, and not a small por-
ton of the unciviized world.
had just been telling my kindred
spirit, pretty Jessie Mason, how we
expected Clarence on the morrow, and
wound up by giving a description Of
him in the following manner:
HE is awfully jolly, good-natured,
ever so handsome, firts desperately
and a perfect tease"
l watched to see the effect of my
words upon Jessie. She opened wide
her big, brown eyes and looked at me
with a most comical expression of
countenance.
Now, in most things, Jessie and
were very much alike. Whenever
there was any mischief afoat we were
the leading spirits. We moved in
romping and carrying on in a manner
very unbecoming our years-at least so
said our long-faced, vinegaT-visaged
friends of the bilious temperament, of
whom we always steered clear. But
then, people will talk, you know, and
perhaps it were better to talk about
Jessie and me than to talk about 9TH
ers who couldn't stand that sort oc
thing as we could. But they talked
about me more than Jessie, for l was
nearly four years older than she, and
of course my conduct was more of an
outrage on their bilious dignity.
Neither Jessie nor l ever thought Of
nTWv
loved each other dearly and were in
separable companions. She looked at
me now with those wondrous brown
eyes, exclaiming:
"Good gracious, Maud, you're inter-
ested at lastl l have often wondered
what sort of man you intended to.
marry, and my disappointment is
great. Why, the man you are going
into ecstacies over is the fac simile
Of the young men in our set, who,
you say, are very well to pass the time
away with, but to marry, as the song
says, you don't feel inclined" laughed
Jessie.
Nonsense" I said. feeling a little
annoyed that Jessie should put a
wrong construction on my words.
"Tm not interested in Clarence-that
is, not in the way you mean. l like
him, and / want you to set your cap
for him. You must fall in love some
time, you know"
"And so must you" laughed Jessie;
$50 I'll wait until you set me an ex-
ample" and the scarlet creeps from
her cheeks to her temples as she looks
out of the window.
"Then, perhaps you'll have to wait
forever. Mother says I'm cut out for
an old maid" said 1, lightly.
"My dear Maud, you're no more the
pattern of an old maid than the old
man in the moon is. Tell your mother
she's a false prophet"
IT don't know that she is" said l,
laughing. I'm nearly %, and mother
thinks it is preposterOus for me to
have arrived at such an age without
being married. She keeps telling me
that my sister was married at II and
1 keep telling her that poor Marion
has regretted It ever since. But then
she says that marriage is a lottery
and every one cannot be expected to
be satisfied with their drawing and
/ suppose mother ought to know. Dear
me! we've lost sight Of what we were
talking about. Clarence is ever so
much nicer than any one We know,
| Jessie"
"Then, why don't you fall In love
with him yourself MaudT
"Fiddlesticksw said l, impatiently.
'I don't want him"
"What keeps Charlie standing down
there's" said Jessie, jumping up.
"We'll talk about Clarence another
time, Maud" and Jessie was on the
balcony and down on the lawn like
a fash.
stretched my neck and caught
sight Of Charlie Morse down by the
gate.
"That accounts for Jessie's bushes
when she looked out Of the window a
while ago" l thought. Il wonder If
she cares for him? 1 hope she does
not"
As 1 watched Charlie and Jessie on
1
Mosse was just such another as Car
ence Arnold. l fell into a thoughtful
mood as l watched them. Jessie's
words came back to me. Why
couldn't / love Clarence Arnold my
self2 Why, indeed?
never was in love. Never could
fall into it and out again like other
girls. Goodness knows l was willing
enough, but couldn't for the life Of
me. They called me q fiirt, but, as
said before, people will talk, you
know--there's no shutting their
mouths--but l wasn't really-that Is,
never meant to firt. / treated all
the really nice young men l was ac.
quainted with alike. Never accepted
invitations fer places Of amusement,
drives, etc, from any one in partic-
ular. Was always a great fayorite
with the young men Of our "set;" but