Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-01-09
MABEL versus MABELIF.
By CHARLOTTE SEDcWIcK.

into our heads-which. indeed, were
ready enough TO receive ii. ! knew
that Mat was cross that Afternoon
just by the way he slammed his wheel
against the veranda and came charg-
ing up the steps
See here. Molly" was his only
greeting,-always having lived next
door. he is not always very ceremoni-
ous.-"why don't you girls take the
nonsense out of Mabel Rogers?
| asked him, What npnsense?"
knew well enough. but Mat has such
an exasperating way of breaking into
a subject,
Don't be unnecessary Dense" was
all the satisfaction ! received. Il tell
you. Molly. I'm sick of Mabel's city
airs and affcctations. and so are all
the other fellows. They're all begin
ming TO keep shy of her.
II was wicked of me, but could
not resist.
And yet" ] said. when Mr.. Matth-
ew Bronson came home from college.
about two weeks ago, he said il was
refreshing to find one really stunning
girl in town-a girl with some style
and manner. a girl who knew what
was what. And he considered it such
a pity that the rest of the Harwich
girls couldn't visit somebody in New
York, and"
But that was as far as | got. for Mat
was fairly snorting something about
It's being just like a girl to remember
everything a fellow ever said. and
rake it up after he had changed his
mind
Then, when he felt a little more
comfortable. he said he thought IL was
somebody's duty to make Mabel ''cut
Il out" as he expressed 1t. Her faith
er did not care to. II seemed, and her
aunt did not dare to. so he thought IL
was left for us-his sister Nell and
meas Mabels most intimate friends.
She was too fine a girl TO be spoiled
by such Stiffness. II IL were one of
the boys, now. the other boys would
take II out Of him mighty quick"
Nell had come upon the veranda dur
ing the Grafton. and she asked Mat.
sarcastically. what method he would
suggest. Would he advise us to put
Mabel on the floor and sit on her until
she promised to be nice and natural
again? She believed that was the us
ual mode of procedure with boys.
But Matthew only shook his head
and limited darkly that girls had
ways" he did not know how they
did things. but he knew they did. He
could not tell. for instance. how they
had made Ned Bates stop smoking
but they had.
NeR gave me funny little look and
said that she guessed Ned could not
tell. either. and ] hurried to ask il
Mabel had been doing anything new
and striking. She was certainly inter
esting in those days.
Il was over there little while ago. =
said Mat, ito see If she would go Ia
Edith's party with me. That new maid
held me up at the door for a card
wouldn't let me In without il. either
and ordered mo TO walk into the
drawing room while she took the card
to Miss Mabelle. Mabel had seen me
from the window too
Oh | interrupted. did you hear
how she tried to make Timothy wear
livery when he took the horses out
Fancy it-Old Tim. OF course he
wouldn't. and for once Mr. Rogers in
terfered. He said that he would pay
the extra maid and change his dinner
hour and call her Mabelle. but he
wouldn't iet her make n fool of Tim.
too
Mat said. Good for him. I didn't
know he had the spirit"
Then he told how he asked Mabel ia
go to the party. and she wanted 10
thing so country" Mat asked her
what sort of thing. and she said. think
ing you must always go to places with
boys. And her aunt preferred her to
go just with one of the maids.
Then Mat had said things. He told
her that was all right in a city. but in
the country. where they have been
neighbors all their lives. it YVES sim
ply ridiculous. He finished by telling
her that she could go with one of the
maids until the end of her days, so far
as Mr.. Matthew Bronson was concern
ed. Then Mabel told him not to act
like a small boy, and he came away.
Neil and ! screamed. To be called
small boy is so irritating-when one
is! And Mat is undeniably understood.
But he did not see the cause of our
mirth. He said severely:
Its all very well to laugh. but I
think it's your duty to make her drop
il. II you can. You think it over"
So Nell and l thought IL over. To
tell the truth, we felt fiattered by
Mats confidence in our power to do
something. end 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 Il. No
city girl ever would have recognized
herself as the original OF Mabel's 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 II C standing joke in town