The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1904-02-05


small boy, and he came away.
Nell and l screamed. To be called a
small boy is so irritating-when one
is! And Mat is undeniably undersized.
But he did not see the cause of our
mirth. He said, severely:
Its all very well to laugh, but l
think it's your duty to make her drop
it, if you can You think it over"
So Nell and l thought it over. To
tell the truth, we felt flattered by Mats
confidence in our power to do some
thing, and we agreed with him in
thinking that something ought to be
done.
Mabel Rogers used to be considered
the prettiest, brightest, most popular
girl in town before she went to visit
her New York cousins; but that visit
nearly spoiled her When she came
back her aim in life was to look and
act and talk like the city girls she had
met, and of course she overdid it. No
9ity girl ever would have recognized
herself as the original of MabePs ex-
aggerated imitation.
She wore her pompadour about three
sizes too big; her manner was all
"gush," and her affected way of talk
ing made it a standing joke in town
that mabel Rogers went to New York
on the cars; Mabelle Wogehrs came
back fwom New Yawk on the cabs"
What Mabel needed most, | think,
was brother I have noticed that the
girls who have brothers are not so apt
to get silly little airs and affectations
as other girls are. have often wished
had brother, but Mat does very
WELL He keeps me supplied with many
of the comforts of one, particularly in
the matter of frank criticism.
Nell and thought it all over for sew
eral days. We thought hard. 1t takes
hard thinking. have discovered, to
find really successful way of not
minding your own business. In the
end, l am sure we would have given it
up if Nell had not had an idea in
Latin. She is always having ideas in
Latin.
She had this one while we were
noon. and she gave little bounce that
made the hammock flop and throw us
out on the ground. Our hammock has
the fioppiest disposition, anyhow.
Then, while we sat there on the
ground, weak from laughing, she ex-
| said it seemed to have quite upset
her, but she utterly snubbed my poor
pun.
Il just found in this book" she went
on, "Similia similibuS curantur. |
wonder we didn't think of it before
ideas in Latin myself.
"And you expect to enter college
this fall" Nell said, significantly.
Like cures like of course, my dear
I've heard it somewhere before" she
added, honestly.
You mean" I began
Exactly" Nellie assured me. "We'l
just try being affected ourselves, and
let Mabel see how silly it u.s."
| had my doubts. l said that Mabel
would be more likely to see that we
were just rude, and perhaps we would
only offend her instead of reforming
her. Mother agreed with me, too She
advised us, if we really felt called on
to mend Mabels ways, to tell her
frankly what We thought, instead OF
using method that was so likely to
be misunderstood
P.,f Nol1 onH ooroo6 thot uyo did
not have the courage to do that, and
besides, this other way would be more
fun. Mother smiled and did not say
any more. She never nags, and she
never says, 81 told you so, my dear!"
She just lets me find out good many
things for myself.
So Nell and / spent several days in
learning how to do it. We studied
Mabel pretty closely, and I confess
had kind of sneaking feeling, for she
is one of the sweetest, frankest, most
generous girls ever knew.
But at last we considered our educa-
ton completed, and one afternoon we
started out, with trailing skirts-bor-
rowed-and absurdly bepompadoured
heads, to make formal call on Mabel.
We fiattered ourselves that we had &C
CURED the correct accent, and our
manner was affected to point several
degrees above Mabel's. We tried it on
Mat before we started, and he nearly
had a fit.
At Mabel's house we usually walk
right in and announce ourselves, but
this afternoon we rang the bell and
brought Maggie with her tray. l
know she was surprised, but she was
game" as Mat would have said.
AS we gravely presented our cards
and asked for Miss Wogehrs and Miss
Mabelle," her face was as expression
less as if we were perfect strangers.
She quietly showed us into the parlor
and went to "tell the ladies'" She
came back in minute to say that Miss
Rogers was out, but Miss Mabelle
would be down in minute.
Nell and 1 wondered afterward if she
gave Mabel a hint. We have never
found out.
Perhaps our sending our cards
warned Mabel. At any rate, when she
came into the parlor nothing in her
manner suggested that there was any
thing unusual about us. She had
played tennis with us all the morning,
too.
Che sai6 "Auptv will ha So sorry RI