The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1904-02-12

IN ey talked about the weather:
about Edith's party, which Mabel pro-
nounced charming bit of local color,
but so country, you know. Then she
described party she had attended in
New York.
Nell said, feelingly, that it must be
terribly stupid to live in country
town when one was used to the, city.
Mabel said it was-oh, unspeakably
stupid! (She had been in New York
just Ave wecksD There was no So
ciety in Harwich. OF course there were
nice people, but nc society. Nobody
knew how to entertain, except, per-
haps, Mrs. Meriweather, and she really
was New Yorker.
So the girls went on, and I think
they would have kept it up indefinitely
only I rose to go, fairly bursting with
swallowed laughter. Nell got up, too,
| and Mabel. Il
Must you go?' she said. "But you
will come again: Mary, love, pardon
me, but your hat is bit too far for
ward. Do you mind if fix it? There!
Really, one needs to have lived in a
city to get things just right"
Then she asked us if we would let
her show us some day how to do our
hair. And she insisted on showing Nell
how to put her belt on 1.-THE new way"
And as we Started down the steps she
offered suggestions about the correct
way"1of holding up our skirts, which
Nell and had caught up anyhow, to
keep from falling all over the miserable
things.
watched Mabel closely to see if she
meant mischief, but her face was as in
nocent as a baby's. She seemed to be
doing il all OUT Of the ki:dness of her
heart. She honestly wanted to help,
l thought, and she appeared positively
flattered by our want:1g to be like her!
The noble duke of FORK, or whoever
it was, who marched up the hill and
then marched down again, has my
sympathy. l XII ow exactly how he felt.
We came away in good order, how
ever. We did not run until we were
round the corner; and then we did not
stop running until We were safe in
Nell's little Gen." where we dropped
on the divan and proceeded to have
mysteries, I'll b. ourselves, as we sup
posed.
But in minute we heard Mat po-
litely inquiring from the door if he
could be Of 2ny assistance, and in the
next breath impolitely advising us to
''stop snorti-g" and tell him what the
"low" was.
Nell sat up, hopping her eyes, and
tried to explain. 20 M-Mat," she
choked, cts the funniest thing!
Mabel never saw the p-point! She
thought we really wanted to be Like
her. Molly, shall die!" and she COL
lapsed again.
''Hurrah for Mabel! She's all
right" was the only sympathy that we
got from Matthew. "Of course she was
just bluffing you, and it serves you
right! Girls never can mind their
own business, anyhow They're-a)l. the
time meddling." T. -
That brought Nell and me ii. IN a
hurry. We started for that wre, ched
boy, but he was too quick for u.s. He
lodged into his room and locked the
door, so we had to content ourselves
with telling him through the keyhole
our opinion of boys in general and Of
Matthew Bronson in particular.
Nell said it was just like boy, any,
way. If you took his advice and sue
ceeded, he was wonder; if you failed,
you were a meddler.
Oh, we said several things, and we
could have said many more, only be-
fore we came to them somebody ran
up the stairs and distracted our atten-
tion. 1t was Mabel.
1--WE come to return your calls,
girls" she said, land l couldn't wait
to send up cards.
Nell and just stared. She was
speaking in her old, natural way, and
somehow knew she had been crying.
Il want to tell you that I'm very
grateful to you" she went on. 81 was
furious at first, for I think it was
pretty mean way of telling me that
I've been a goose, but suppose de-
served it. Only, instead of discussing
me behind my back and letting me
keep on being goose so long, think
you might have told me frankly
Then her voice began to tremble and
she stopped. Things looked pretty
squally, and Nell and I could not seem
to think of thing to say. We simply
stood there and felt mean. And then
suddenly the door flew open and that
blessed boy came bouncing out. l could
have Rugged him! :.
II beg to inquire" he said, solemn
ly, whether have the pleasure of adj
dressing Miss Mabelle Wogehrs or Miss
Mabel R0gers?''
mabel Rogers Mabel said, laugh.
ing. II just came back from New
York this afternoon. Come on, Mat!
Let's show these little girls here how
to play tennis. Go change your skirts,
my dears!"
Mabel is all right!-Youth's CON-
panion..