The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-23
The Changed counryman.

M1lllcent piled her little slippers on
the fender and looked critically at
their satin slenderness. She pulled a
little at the founces of her silken tea
| gown, and peered down to see if the
| lace of her petticoat showed effective
| ly.
| II wonder If look sufficiently wick
| ed" she said, as she held her head on
one side to get a better view of her
| slippers and the tempting petticoat
i do not want to shock him, want
to make him fairly gasp with wonder
at my worldliness. How he will start
and stare, and redden to that sandy
hair of his
She leaned back in her chair and
smiled and flicked her little satin toe
| under her laces. Then she assumed an
air of ineffable languor, such as she
| intended to wear when her visitor was
announced, looking deliciously bored as
| II life IN general were too much for her
She half closed her eyes and gazed
with insufferable ennui in the direction
of gold and white screen, which filled
the space where her intended victim
would be seated; then she rearranged
the cigarettes half tumbling from the
box on the Turkish stand by her side.
and turned the title page of a risque
society journal so that it could be
plainly seen.
Then she laughed; a clear, sweet,
ringing laugh, which showed her beau
tfful white teeth and the shine Of her
fine eyes. She was extraordinarily pref
ty and very dainty and stylish, with a
decided atmosphere Of charm about her.
Il haven't seen him for eight years."
she went on musing. what a clod of
clay he was, to be sure and what
dreadful countrif1ed mannerisms. Oh,
l shall never forget that tall, lanky
body and those awful hands, that seem
ed so numerous and so eternally in his
way; and then his blushes-those pain
full red rushes Of blood that made his
sandy hair look white and glistening. 1t
is such dreadful thing for man to
blush; I can forgive anything easier
than that"
Millicent put her handkerchief over
her pretty eyes as If to shut out the
painful sight, and then rested her chin
in her hands and went on musing.
what an awkward way he had of
talking to woman. The feminine had
mortal terrors and Vaccinations for him,
for he used to hang about me like an
abused dog; and how I used to tor
ture him. 1t was wicked I know, but
I am just dying to do it again. There
Is no excuse for such a,wkwardness and
diffdence, anyway, and the man who
hasn't the will to pull himself together
ought to be tortured into shape by
somebody. Such men have neither HUI
NOR nor imagination, and they should
be disciplined by sheer shame Of them
selves. If he had spent less time por-
ing over books, and had gone about
among women and girls, he would have
learned the ways of the world and the
graees of society. believe told him
something to that effect, but it slipped
off his intelligence like everything else,
and left him as callow as ever"
Millicent was widow and twenty
six. She was called great beauty and
knew the power of her charms without
being vain woman. She was gracious
and tactful and possessed of all the
airs and graces of the society world of
today. She was Withal, just as fresh
and sweet for all her worldliness as
when she was eighteen and tortured
so exquisitely the country youth OF
twenty two, who was guilty Of hav-e
ing too many hands and too little
savoir faire for comfort
And this was the man she was ex-
pecting. He had sent her word that
he was to be in town from the country
and would venture to call upon her.
She had been feeling down-spirited,
bit in the dumps, as she told her
friends, and the promise Of this visit
with all it's amusing possibilities gave
new zest to life. She had arrayed her.
self to astonish him with her worldli-
ness and shock him with her suggested
wickedness, and, altogether, she has
anticipating a very entertaining after
noon.
She was surveying her silken ankles
and her artless ruffled petticoat once
more, when Hobbs suddenly parted the
curtains and announced in even tones:
| "Mr. Brownell.'
MilIicent instantly sank back against
her cushions and assumed her langutd