The citizen., 1901-03-08

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1t is all a mistake to suppose that good
judgment and level head are the out
come Of experience. They are born, moi
acquired. The man of the world who has
tried all things and held fast that which
is bad may 20 all to pieces over some
Henrietta through whose wilcs the green
boy from the country district would see
in an instant. The capitalist and the
bank president fall victims to quite as
many hunko games as the farmer and
the cowboy. And the same lack of rule
holds good in the world of women. The
bluShing maiden from a French convent
may be quite as able to take care of her
self as the young woman who has alb
sorbed modern fiction, seen men and
manners of many sorts and been given
her own head in all things. 1t is a mat
ter 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 the contrary,
and he believed in letting Il 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 comfortable theory
moreover, and saved Judge Porter trou-
bic. There were thOSe-certain neighbOrs
and friends of little Miss Portcr's de-
ceased mother-who would not admit
that it was theory at all They said
that Porter neglected his only child and
let her run wild.
At the age of 3 little Miss Porter was
gourmet. smoked her cigarettes with
an air and swore fluently. But at the
age Of 20 she was as innocent, il not
as ignorant, as the aforesaid convent
maiden is popularity supposed to be.
1t was at this period that She met
Calverey. He was English and hand
some and agreeable One of her not en-
tirely unobjectionable girl friends had
presented him, and after the custom of
America. and more especially of the
west, nothing further was necessary. 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. She had to manage
all those little matters alone. Judge
Porter believed that she was equal to
it by reason of his training, and, besides.
But by and by one of the aforesaid
friends of her mother decided, after much
prayer and fasting, that it was her OBJ
vious duty to warn Miss Porter. since
there was no one else to do it. She
trembled at the necessity. Once, in the
days of Miss Porters tender infancy,
some other good advice had been met
with a storm of bad language, at the
Nf ft-li nh hA lnIr
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
cozy corner and proceeded to brew tea.
The o'clock tea habit had never been
very strong with Miss Porter. Doubtless
1t was another result of the influence of
Calverey, who was just then in the libra
ry across the hall smoking and reading
and making himself entirely at home.
81 saw you at the theater the other
night" began the elder woman.
"Yes," said Miss Porter.
"Who was the man you were with?"
1t was the scandal OF Miss Porter's set
(which was a good one in spite of all
that she did without chaperons upon
most occasions. 81 dare say it was Mr..
Calvcrlcy," said Miss Porter. She knew
it was. and so did the other
"Calverley? DO ! know him? What
is the rest of his nameY
Miss Porter tried not to look proud as
she spoke the sonorous syllables and en-
phasized the hyphen. at was Giles
Hartpole Clayton-C Calverley," she said.
"Ohw said her mothers friend. "And
where is he frOmr
He was from England, from London.
"Oh!" she said again. "And who is he?
Miss Porter informed her that he was
well onnected-splendidly connected. She
was a little vague, but that was because
she could not keep all the names at her
tongues end.
How had she met him? 1t was becom-
ing decidedly cross questioning. and Miss
Porter raised her brows. There was the
same look in the baby blue eyes beneath
them that had preceded the evil language
years ago. But she was quite deadly
civil now. 81 met him through a friend.
Were you at the dance last night?' she
asked
"I'll tell you about that later. Tell me
about Mr. Calverley first, dear. Are you
perfectly sure about him? One has to hc
so careful of these Englishmen who are
not properly accredited"
Miss Porter laughed-a naughty laugh.
Not properly accredited, indeed! A
friend OF the prince, n relative of moro
or less half the peerage, on nickname
terms with all sorts of dukes and lords
and things, man of his perfectly appar-
ent means! Not properly accredited, in
deed. Her rebuke was terrible, though
brief. She mentioned her own judgment
/ and knowledge Of the world and hcr
mothers friend withdrew. bafed. yet
doubling.
As she went she caught sight OF Cal
verley in a big leathern chair before the
FIRE, smoking his brier pipe, and that
night she told her husband about it.