The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-20

Once there was a Girl who was being
Courted by a Syndicate. She was the oiri
who took First Prize at the Business Men
Carnival When the Sunday Paper ran
whole Page of Springheld's Typical Bellies
she had the Place of Honor in the center.
IL a Stranger from some larger Town was
there on a Visit and ii became necessary
TO Knock his Eye out and prove 10 MIN
that Springfield was strictly In IL they TOOK
him up TO call on Maize. Maize never
failed to Bowl him over and get him ali
Wrought Up. for she was a Dream OF
LONELINESS when she got into her Glad
Raiment Maize had large mesmeric Eyes /
and n Complexion that was like Cnaste
Marble kissed by the Rosy Flush of Dawn.
and she carried plenty of Brown Hair that
she Built Up by putting Things under 1t.
When she sat very straight on the edge
OF the Chair, with the queenly Tilt OF the
Chin and the Shoulders set back Proudly
and the Skirt sort of Whipped Under so
as to help the General Outline. she was
certainly Pleasing Object to size up, and
no matter where the Spectator sat in the
Room he couldn't get a wrong Angie on
her. for she did not Fall Down at any
Point
Maize had such a Rush of Men Callers
that the S. r. o. Sign was out almost
every Night, and when the Weather per-
mitted she had Overflow Meetings on the
Veranda.
Right across the Street from Beautiful
Maize there lived a Girl named Agnes, who
was Fair to Middling, although she could
not Step it Off within Twenty Seconds of
Mazie's regular Gait. Sometimes when she
| happened to get the right Combination of
| Colors and wore Veil as far down as the
Nose and you did not get too Close she
was not Half Bad, but as soon she got
| into the same Picture with Maize, the Man
| Charmer, she was faded to a Gray Bleach.
| All the plain. everyday Xxx Springfield
| Girls, designed for Family Use and not for
Exhibition Purposes, used to wish that
| Maize would go away somewhere and for
get to come back Maize was the Cause
| of the Famine in Callers.
| The Other Girls had to Admit that Maize
was a good deal of a Tangerine, but they
did not Enthuse the same as their Brothers
did. You cannot expect a lot of Spirited
| Girls to strike a Chord in G and sing any
Anthem of Praise to Friend who is try
ing to make Wall Flowers out of them. 1t
Riled them to hear Maize tell how Provok-
| ing it was to receive Bouquets and Books
| and all sorts of Presents from Men with
whom she had barely Speaking Acquaint-
| ance. Ordinarily Girl sort of Palpitates
| for an Hour or two after the Delivery Boy
comes with Five-Pound Box of Candy or
! a long Bunch of Jack Roses, so Maize did
| not make herself any too well liked by
| telling the Other Girls that she was Tired
OF having Expensive Gifts piled up in front
of her. And when some Poor Man who
was Far Gone on Matchless Mazie the
| Sprite OF Springfield, would start Rhap-
| sody to some other Girl the Other Girl
| would say Yes, that Maize was a Sweet
| and Lovely Girl, but when she said it she
| would look as if she had just tasted a
! Lemon
But Agnes, who lived across the Street
from the Pearl of Springfield, tried to be
Cheerful and keep her Hammer hidden al
| though goodness knows she had Reason to
feel Put Out. 1t is Hard Lines for a
Sociable Girl to sit around the House and
play Solitaire and practice Finger Move
ments on the Piano and read James Lane
Allen, and see everything Lighted Up
across the Street and know that Some One
Else has Callers to Burn.
| Agnes felt sometimes as If she would lust
| have to Up and Tell the Boys what a de-
ceitful, two-faced old Thing this Maize
really was, and how she had said that most
of the Young Men in Springfield gave her
| a Pain and acted like Farmers when they
| were in a Ball Room. But she knew better
| than to do it, for Maize had all of them
Luny about her, and they would have said
that Agnes was Miffed because of Mazie's
| Popularity.
Agnes understood that Men always show
| a Strong Preference for a Feather Headed
Girl if she has the Looks and Circus
| Style, and particularly if all the sedate
| well-read, plain, intellectual Girls are try
| ing to Close Up ahead of her so as to
throw her into a Pocket and put her out
| of the Running.
So long as Maize was the Reigning Fad
| and while Mazie's Front Room was the
Mecca for Golf Players and Glee Club I'm
| dergraduates Agnes sat back, a trifie For
lorn, but not so Ratified that she took any
| Chances of Queering her own Game.
Sometimes when there was such a Push
at Mazie's Home that the Late Corners
could not get up to within Rubbering Dis
tance of the celebrated Siren of Springfield
and it was too Early to go Home one or two
|