Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-07-29

A Case OF Training.


ball over at the Flat, Reuben?'
Mrs. Butler observed to her son,
as he rose from the breakfast table.
Il was calculating to, mother" he
answered, turning with the quick look
of n who expects to be found fault
with.
Il don't want to dictate at ALL" she
observed, smoothly, but merely to sug-
gest that it would be IN act of cOur-
tesy for you to take Matilda Springer"
Matilda S%pringer!"
"Yes, Matilda Springer; you needn't
eXclaim so. She is as nice a girl rs
you could find, and she seldom gets
an invitation. | am sure it would be
quite a treat to her. A young man
should pass around his attentions, not
go too much with the same girl; II be
comes too marked. OF course Pm only
suggesting; you can do as you please
Reuben did not reply; he put on his
hat and started downtown. There
was a rebellious look in his brown
eyes, and he said something under his
breath his mother would have been
shocked to hear.
At the foot of the hill he half
stopped and looked back from force
of habit. How often when a lad on
his way to school his mother had
called him back, when he reached this
point where the road went out of sight,
a md uhnn ha ,,,clnl homo nroin hot
and impatient, he would be told ito
hang up his coat, or put a book on
the shelf that he had left on a chair
Mrs. Butler was a managing wOm-
an, and her husband and son felt her
hand in every detail of their lives.
at is easier to let your mother have
he'd way" John Butler would say;
and the only time he dared to disobey
her was when, without saying aught,
he lay down and died.
81 wonder what possessed mother to
get it into her head to have me take
that old maid! Just when I'd got my
new buggy, too, and wanted Clarissa
to ride In it first. 1t will be the big
gest ball ever given in these parts, and
l know Clarissa will expect to go with
me. Hang it all! What do l care If it
Is 'marked?' I'd be tickled to death
If folks knew l was going to marry
Clarissa Brown, and I'd been thinking
that during this long ride in the moon
light l might get the courage to ask
her to marry me. But mothers made
up her mind, and l suppose I've got
to take Matilda, or the dickens will be
to pay. l wonder l haven't cut it long
ago and run away. l guess it's be-
cause she mother, after ALL" and
Reuben stroked his rather weak chin
perpleXedly. "I1l talk it over with
her tonight"
Talk. it over he did, with the result
that the next evening he was going up
the steps to the rickety photograph
gallery, behind which Matilda lived, to
ask her to go to the party with him.
Pretty Clarissa Brown, bending over
the sewing machine, hemming blue
dimity rutfies for her new dress, was
wondering even then why Reuben
hadn't been around to arrange about
going to the party. She wondered
more as the days went by, and when
the evening came and the gayly deco
rated coaches and buggies began to
go by, and she saw Miss Matilda seat
ed by Reuben, a linen duster covering
her freshly Numbered yellow cambria
dress, a mutinous expression came into
her eyes.
Madam Mother again." she said,
under her breath.
After that Clarissa found it con
venient to see very little Of Reuben;
If he called, she was busy or out, and
she passed him on the street with the
slightest nod.
Reuben was miserable, and as the
weeks went on, with no change in
Clarissa, he began to think she had
given him up for good, A change came
over the lad; he grew reckless, and
did not heed his mothers displeas-
ure. He went out evenings, and came
back careless and uncommunicative.
To her angry expostulations he replied
that he was going to choose his own
company.
"I'm going to see Fannie West; she's
a right lively girl, and Is teaching me
card games, and tonight we had ta-
males and beer" and Reuben took
his candle and marched off to bed.
Mr.. Butler felt cold all over. Fan
ME West, that little frazzle-headcd
thing, always giggling, and Reuben
turned so Independent. What If he
set out to marry her?
OF course she wanted him to have
Clarissa, only she had meant to show