The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-02-26

I T was Mat Bronson who put the idea
into our heads-which indeed.
were ready enough TO receive it. I
knew that Mat was cross that after
noon just by the way he slammed his
wheel against the veranda and came
charging up the steps
"See here, Molly" was his only
greeting-always having lived next
door, he is not always very ceremo-
nious-"why don't you girls take this
nonsense out Of Mabel Rogers?'
asked him, "What nonsense?" I
knew well enuogh, but Mat has such
an exasperatng way Of breaking into
a subject!
Don't be unnecessarily dense" was
all the satisfaction l received. Il tell
you, Molly. I'm sick Of Mabels city
airs and affectations, and so are the
other fellows. They're all beginning
to keep shy Of her"
It was wicked Of me, but I could not
resist.
"And yet" l said, "when Mr.
Matthew Bronson came home from col
lege, about two weeks ago, he said it
was refreshing to find one really stun
ming 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
its 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 COM
Portable, he said he thought it was
somebody's duty to make Mabel "cut
il out" as he expressed H. Her father
did not care to, it seemed, and her aunt
did not dare to, so he thought it was
left for us-hls sister Nell and me
as Mabers most intimate friends. She
was too fine a girl to be spoiled by
such Stiffness. If it were one Of the
boys. now, the other boys would take
II out of him mighty quickl"
Nell had come up on the veranda
during this oration. 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 usual mode Of procedure with
boys.
But Matthew only shook his head
and hinted 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.
Nell gave me a funny little look and
said that she guessed Ned could not
tell, either, and I hurried to ask if
Mabel had been doing anything new
and striking She was certainly inter-
esting in those days
Il was over there a little while ago"
said Mat, "to see If she would 90 TO
Edith's party with me. That new maid
held me mp at the door for a card
wouldn't let me in without it, either
and ordered me TO walk into the
'drawing-room' while she took the card
to Miss Mabelle. Mabel had seen me
from the window too"
"Oh," I interrupted, did you hear
how she tried to make Timothy wear
livery when he took the horses out?
Fancy told 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 let her make fool Of Tim,
too"
Mat said. Good for him. I didn't
know he had the spirit"
Then he told how he asked Mabel to
90 to the party, and she wanted TO
know if he did not think that sort Of
thing so country" Mat asked her
what sort of thing, and she said,
thinking you must always 90 to places
with boys. And her aunt preferred her
to 20 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 had been |
neighbors all their lives. it was simply /.
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 concerned. /
Then Mabel told him not to act like a /
small boy. and he came away.
Nell and / screamed. To be called a |
small boy is so irritating-when one /
Isl 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 4
think it's your duty to make her drop |
It, If you can. You think 1t over"
So Nell and l thought It over. To
tell the truth, We felt hattered by Mats
confidence In our power to do some
thing, and we agreed with him in
that something ought TO be
done.
Mabel Rogers used to be considered