Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-10-10
The Daily Short Story
FrivoIe and AmaryIIis.

go away and tell that horrid dowdy,
/ Nell Denham, that 1 am "a pretty little
| featherhead.' Oh, dear! Oh, dear! If
| he had only said it to any one else in
| the world but TO that girl, who still
wears four-in-hand ties and big sleeves,
as Noah's family did when it came out
| of the ark, and doesn't know this years
| style of sailor hat from last years"
And so she hied herself Off to the
Astor library.
Amaryllls was looking very sad when
| Frivole arrived. She didn't have Fri
vole's rose and cream complexion or
| Frivole's merry laugh. But Frivole
| didn't appreciate her blessings that
morning The first thing she did was
to begin to sob.
"Frivole. dear, what is it,"
ooh, nothing, only / wish-I wish I
could have a little wrinkle in my fore
head like you, and then people would
i say thought sometimes"
Amaryllis rang for tea.
I'm so discouraged, Amaryllis." And
| she rolled her handkerchief into ball
| and dabbed each eye.
Il want to be sensible and serious,
and 1 don't know how. 1 want to be
clever and improve my mind. 1 want
to be like your And such a picture of
appealing misery the silver teapot had
| scarcely reflected before.
Amaryllis looked Mortified.
"Mr. Van Schaik, the awfully clever
| one, who writes books and is a lawyer
and is going to congress and all that,
you know-well, he called once in
| awhile, and he said 1 was a Feather
head Oh, what n dreadful wordr'
"And you wish to please this gifted
creature?" said Amaryllis. dropping a
lump of sugar into Frivole's tea. "Sup-
rose you read some. Take up n course
of history. Dolly Madison is fad just
now. Read up Dolly and the war of
| 1912. War makes good small talk these
days, and If he is going to congress-
at sounds very hard" faltered the
ambitious one. but I'll try"
That's right. dear. Now I'll confide
III you. Frivole, 1 want to be frivo-
lous."
"Oh, Amaryllisi"
I'm tired of being learned. 1 want
to know how TO be attractive and
pleasant when people are tired as well
as when they are fresh and ready TO
listen and argue. 1 want to be like
you. Now, tell me how. You never
weary people or task their intellects or
upset their nerves. You amuse them
and refresh them"
"Oh, talk nonsense and wear pretty
dresses, and when the atmosphere is
sad just curl your hair all over! think
you are awfully foolish, though.
don't know much about anything else.
but mamma always said a flirt was
born a firt, and think you would not
be half so nice If you were frivolous,
Amaryllis."
So they parted.
1t was fragrant and softly gloomy in
the lamplighted music room, and Fri |
vole, looking rather white and anxious,
sat bolt upright on the piano stool.
All day she had been studying liter !
ature'' and Improving her mind" |
Kings and queens were to her as so
many puppets. Paganism and civiliza- |
tion were mere words to play with. |
She was well up in literature. 1t was a |
novel position for Frivole, and when |
Mr.. Van Schaik was ushered in he was |
surprised. She didn't run into the hall |
to meet him with some absurd well
come which he heard. misunderstood |
and analysed as charming. She didn't /
laugh and shake her hand vigorously |
and then sit down with a cloud of frills /
around her and chatter to him.
Alas, she did nothing of the kind He
awoke her from scene of carnage
when he entered, and she raised two
brilliant eyes and a flushed face from
her book, advanced with intense suf-
fering depicted on every feature and,
wringing his hand, said:
'Oh, Mr.. Van Schaik, how glad L am
to see you! Wasn't it perfectly dread
full about poor Mary, queen of Scots?"
1t was very unkind of him, but Mr..
Van Schaik went away to the noun
tains next day. He declared that his
nerves were completely shaken up.
Amaryllis shook the silver tea bell an
grily, and Frivole allowed two mean
dering tears to caress her pink cheeks.
''Well, it's a consolation anyhow,
Amaryllis. to know that you were not
a success
Thanks" said Amaryllis.
"What did they say when you tried
to be like me?"
"Well. 1 don't like to seem rude, Fri
vole, dear, but the family wouldn't
listen. They simply absconded. The
girls all said 1 had turned into Dodo.
You remember Dodo in the book, who
talked about her baby as a landed pro-
prietor and wished she could be a
Christian martyr, so that her fingers
would curl up like bacon when they
burned her at the staSel
'Then my laugh-you know you
laugh all the time, Frivole-well, my
laugh scared Bob so that he knocked
over a vase which father brought from
Egypt, and they all concluded that
was hysterical and had better take a
vacation"
Poor Amaryllisl I'll go with you If
my gray frock comes home"