Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-10-24

ed for its distinct air OF arlstocracy,
were causing a great deal OF quiet am
usement to the older guests, amuse-
ments which, as time went on, became
more general, affecting even the wait
ers and other servants, who discussed
1t among themselves and awaited de-
velopments with the same amount OF
interest as the person whom they
served
Miss Kennedy was a coquette. Every
one but few of her intimate friends
would tell you this without hesitation.
This fact, however, should not have in
terested the guests to any great extent
Coquettes of all ages and degrees of
beauty were not uncommon at the
Westminster. But the trouble was that
Miss Kennedy was different from the
ordinary run of coQuettes; so decided
ly different, in fact, that the amuse-
ment furnished by the young men, OF
which amusement Miss Kennedy was
the indirect cause, grew into specula-
ton as the guests tried to explain her
peculiar actions and the strange in
fuence which she welded over young
men. Influence she certainly had. New
er in the history of the Westminster
had 20 many young men fallen so des-
~erately and uncompromisingly in love
with one girl. 1t seemed impossible for
them to know her simply as friend.
in fact, platonic friendship seemed
quite out of the question so far as
Mics KaDDalV was onnpprnnd
1t was quite inexplicable. She was
good-looliing, of course, but then there
were numerous girls in the neighbor-
hood, and, indeed, some at the West
minister no less fair, who never in their
careers had caused such general furore
among a gathering of young men.
Her enemies said that her heart, if
she had one, was as cold and as i'm
pervious as steel. If this We're not so
how could she lead man after man
along, keeping his hopes at fever heat?
Her enemies thought this cruel. Her
dear friends, however, thought other
wise. They said that if she really was
as cold as steel then her sweet smiles
and her sincere and winning manners
certainly belied her. If men insisted
on becoming so enamored with her
was it her fault? And if her sweet and
sympathetic disposition and smiles
which she bestowed on all alike, were
misconstrued by some ardent though
deluded admirers, would she be CEN
sured when, as time went on, it be-
came her painful duty to dispel the
hallucination? No; they thought she
was rather to be pitied. One of her
philosophical friends, young law stu
dent, hit the nail on the head when he
said that beauty was not the essential
The real thing, he said, that appealed
to men was the knack of appearing
congenial and sympathetic, in short,
to understand man and have an
hdaptability to various natures; to give
weight to ones opinions and to exhibit
other flattering marks of attention and
respect which could not fail to impress
the average man. Some girls feign
this, according to the law student but
Miss Kennedy was innocence itself, and
her interest and sympathy for her
friends came not from duplicity but
from pure goodness of heart. The law
studenC might just as well have kept
silent, however as he had already been
voted great bore, and no one ever
paid any attention to what he said.
At all events SO many of the young
men at the Westminster had fallen
prey to Miss Kennedys charms, only
20 ,.ie Er
ally got SO that whenever a fellow be-
gan to avoid the usual evening gath
ering on the veranda,. the boarders
merely nodded wisely and said moth
ing, while the young men hugged one
another in ecstacy, and when, after
week or two, perhaps longer, perhaps
not so long, he began to mingle in with
the crowd and with saddened face to
take up once more the old order OF
life, the boarders smiled again, while
the young men, most of whom had
been through the same course, welcom-
ed him effusively, and he, though sore
snd sour, joined them while they
waited for another unfortunate. The
prospective unfortunate was generally
designated as next"
And SO when the depot hack rolled
up the winding driveway one August
afternoon and a rather good-looking
young man alighted and walked up the
steps, a general smile flashed over
the faces of the older guests, while the
young men chuckled joyously.
Cad, another victim" chuckled a
stout young man of the name of Jud-
son. "All we've got to do is to get
the mintroduced and then watch for the
fun, Eth, boys?"
That's just the idea" assented Gill
bert Chauncy of Amherst Every fel-
low must make it his business to see
that they meet as soon as possible
And'-
"Oh yes, get them together" inter,
fupted Coldthwaite. You will get hold
of the wrong man or rather the right
man some day, and you won't have
half the fun you expect. He will win
her."