Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1901-03-01
! ROy0I Mathews MQIRGTS.
&.


Royal Mathews was invited to dine at
the Lossings', strictly a family affair." and
| was duly clated, for he knew it meant
the crucial moment of his life, when he
/ would be considered n possible lover for
the clever Edith LOSING, to whom he
had lost his heart on first acquaintance.
The dinner was one Of those dainty
Iggregations of silver and cut glass and
decorative china which give a bizarre eff
feet to our meals at the present time,
even when ones feelings must be tied
with blue ribbon or kept out of sight,
and when 1t is social crime to eat any
thing with a spoon. But Royal Mathews
was accustomed to modern luxury and
would have died before he would have
admitted that he did not know the whole
social shibboeth. That Edith LOSING
would attempt to judge of n mans NOR
ais by his manners never occurred to
him.
! Before the dinner was well begun Ma
thews was aware that in some way he
had offended Miss LOSING.
/ Edith Lossing's friends were much
afraid that she would end her days in
single blcsscdncss or else go through the
woods and pick up the figurative crooked
stick as a last opportunity. SO many eli
gble men had sought her hand and been
refused that 1t was currently reported
that she had been disappointed in love
and was determined to live and die an
/ old maid. Her friends had on several
occasions announced themselves satisfied
( with the candidate only to be told that
Miss Edith had refused him.
| The trouble was that Edith was hyper
critical. 1t was so with other things be-
sides the affections. She took all the
sweetness out Of life by finding its sugar
was adutcrated with chalk. She left the
sky out of her landscapes and mutilated
kher friends by petty criticism. She had
heard or read somewhere that manners
were the shadows of morals, and by this
half inch rule she measured men.
The day after dinner she went to
lunch with her best friend who boarded
at Il stately hotel and was a person of
| common SENSE the sCarccSt commodity
on earth, She was fond Of Edith, while
bcwailing the positive virtues which
/ made her so diSagrceable.
II met Allen IIolbrook in the lobby,
and he stood and talked with me without
removing his hat" she announced to her
best friend after they had lunched and
we're seated in the parlor Of the hotel.
Then suppose you will disalow him
a single good quality" remarked the
Il. f.
But 1t was such want of respect"
complained Edith.
Put it on another basis. Perhaps,
new woman he was treating you with
the freedom of good comradeShip. Could
he pay you a greater complimentY
"'Ihc new woman will demand every
,l- l.,1, of
ed Edith. 1T was unbearable rude
| ness"
Let MS think that he was SO glad to
see you that he never once thought of his
hat. 1t will he more charitable. But,
tell me- for | am dying to know, is Royal
Mathews to he the happy man"
Royal Mathews is an nsufferable
boor" rctortcd Edith with n good deal OF
asperity, showing that she was secretly
hurt.
What lid he do? You told me he was
to dine with You yesterday. Did he eat
with his knife
Worse thousand times worse"
did he do as Emerson did when Mar
garct Fuller was his guest-eat in his
shirt slecvcs?"
mo. and he is not an Emerson"
81 insist upon you telling me the depth
|
do not, | shall ask him myself when he
calls at ). rs he promised
every well, | will tell you, and the
CONSEQUENCES be on your own head. You
know that | pride myself on my house
keeping. and that all the glass and silver
is taken care Of by myself | think can
claim spotcSs hrlliaucy for the table
ware, yet when that man sat down at the
table what do you think he did, But
you would never gucss-no. not in life
time. The wretch picked up n corner Of
the tabccloth and deliberately polished
first his glass. then the plate and finally
the silver at his plate. 1t was done in a
moment. but with no attempt at conceal
ment was so thankful that no one else
saw him-thc affair would have been
talked over in the kitchen"
Edith waited for burst of indignation
from her b. +. and was surprised at a
peal of laughter. This was followed by a
grave thoughtfulness, and then the best
friend said
My dear. Royal Mathews was uncon-
sciously following habit acquired at the
hotels of our country, where food is
served in haste and often by incompe-
tent help. | do not imagine the poor fell
low was for moment conscious OF what
he was really doing. and | admit that
the habit is very careless one. But it
rates several degrees less than crime"
II don't know about that" said Edith,
but with a relieved look. Il have always
looked upon mans manners as his Gre
dcntials: they either uplift him or de-
grade him."
Eyes. my Edith, but you must not for
get the awful soul that dwells in clay
You make much of the accomplishments
Of the clay. but there is the deeper life
that is its sanitation. And now may |
ask what is that object on which You
have been wrcaking your will ever since
: we came in from the table"
Edith looked and was aghast.
at is table napkin" she said.
. "Where did get it?'
Carried it off with you unconsciously,
o woman Of cruel judgment. Suppose
were to cuse you of appropriation
You see no easy it is to forget ourselves
and become n a moment objects of con
dennation or suspicion. Charity, my
dear. will even condone the swallowing
of knives and the abstraction of nap
kins"
: The best friend rang the bell and gave
a waiter the suspicious object. Then
Royal Mathews was announced and was
astonished beyond measure to find his
lady of the ice of the preceding day as
warm and glowing as Hebe.-Exchange.