The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-24
Babblings Of q
Bachelor Girl.

The Bachelor Girl has a frierd named
Tude. Tude is thirteen, profound cynic
and a woman-hater. In the big
family Bible there are three Christian
rames before his surname, but as Tude
invariably ''licks'-his own expression
every boy who tries to fit the high
sounding cognomen to him, the abbrevia-
ton is popular among his acquaintances.
Roughly speaking, the world is divided
for Tude into two classes, those who are
devotees of football and those Who
aren't. The latter he ignores.
The Bachelor Girl and Tude are neign-
hors. 1t is only recently that they have
become friends. An incident, the recol-
lection of which makes the Bachelor Girl
by contrast think of prunes and prisEs,
drew her out of that circle of mediocre
ones who knew not, or, perhaps, more
truly, are not known, by Tude into that
smaller and charmed circle of which
Tude is the center and the ruling spirit
It happened late one. afternoon. The
Bachelor Girl was taking a short cut
home and met fence. On the other side
of the fence was a boy. For the Bach
elor Girl it was either the fence or q
long walk around. The boy grinned imp
ishly. The Bachelor Girl seriously con-
sidered.
Stump you to jump It," said the boy
with an I-know-you' re- afraid smile.
The fence wasn't so awfuliy high, short
skirts are convenient ard-well, the
Bachelor Girl didn't walk around.
THAT wasn't so worse" said the boy
patronizingly, you went over pretty
Slick
After that Tude nodded. Occasionally,
In burst of confidence, he told how
the Ripping Runners downed the Rub
bernecks." Both are football teams
Tude commands the former. Knowing
only the captain of the Ripping Run
ners'' it is not surprising that the Bach
elor Girl has come to have a very poor
opinion of the "RubbernecBs.' But it
was only last week that she saw the two
teams meet in mortal combat. Tude ex-
tended to her the invitation to witness
the game. The Bachelor Girl is natural
ly suspicious, but even she was puzzled
by the unwonted cordiality of the cap
tain'S manner when he delivered the in
vitation. For though Tude has admitted
the Bachelor Girl into the sacred pre-
cincts Of his friendship there had never
been anything hitherto in his manner
that led her to believe he had forgotten
she belonged to a sex he despised.
You bet de kids are goin to put up
fine game" he explained to her land
you don't want to miss it. YOU this
with an effect of great generosity, you
kin come wild me-
Tude's language is not polished, for ns
choses his friends because of their Drawn
and muscle and not because of their So
cial position.
The Bachelor Girl searched Tude's face,
that is, she rather tried to search it. but
the captain of the Tripping Runners, ;
when he gave the invitation, was hang
ing head down from q trapeze he has
erected on the rear premises of his IA
TIERS property.ZIt is difficult to detect
guile on a countenance thus suspended.
So without undue alacrity the Bachelor
Girl accepted the invitation. The game
came off one afternoon last week The
Bachelor Girl was early at the place of
rendezvous, but already Tude was on
hand, not standing on his feet, however,
but rolling about in the dust
Are you ILL.," queried the Bachelor
Girl in dismay.
CO. hullo," said Tude, promptly Jump
ing up and cycling the Bachelor Girl rath-
er sheepishly.
s'You see," he explained, as he pulled
on his cap, ode clothes are new. But
wanted dem to look like de oder kids
How anxiously peering over his Shout
der, is de baek?'
The Bachelor Girl assured him that the
"
that could be desired
Now, confdentially, the Bachelor Girl
'.has never been able to become wildly
hilarious over football. TIE her it has
always seemed leg puzzle with the
query attached, Find the owners" 1t
was dreary little field that the two
teams had chosen on which to decide the
championship Of really the Bachelor
Girl has forgotten what. Arriving at the
field Tude wasted no time in introduce
lions, but lined up his men and the Other
team, whose captain was very short
and a very fat boy, did the same. There
was no audience and no grand stand.
The Bachelor Girl picked out a clean
looking stump. fixed her eyes on the
mass of struggling boys who soon got
mixed up together, and gave herself up
to reflection. Twice she cheered feebly,
but she fancied from glimpse she
caught of Tudes face that she had
cheered the wrong side, so she gave it
up At the end of the first half she was
assured by Tude that the Ripping Run.
ners'' had the tRubbernecks" beaten
''holler." But as the plump captain Of
the latter team conveyed to her the same
information the Bachelor Girl politely
smiled assent to both and cheered both
sides impartially. 1t was really the two
captains who decided the outcome Of the
game for they had a fist contest that
left the fat boy winking rapidly and