The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1905-03-24
CALCULATING. GIRLS
YOUNG HosTEssES THAT SMILE
SWEETEST ON GIFT BEARERS.
Complaint of Frugal Young Man Who
Couldn't Stand the Pace - How
Gift-Giving Affected Amanda"

Gift-Giving Affected amanda"
Copyright, 1905, BY Joseph B. BoWles)
A frienl asked a young man how 1t
happened :hat he did not go any more
10 call upon the girls
"You used to he out three or tour
evenings week, visiting sue anu
'AnnaDer and Ethel and no end OF
others. What has become of them
all?"
"Oh, they are there just the same
as of old, dare say
Did they turn you down. l hope
there was 10 unpleasantness.
:"Oh, nv-only l couldn't quite keep
up The Ddce so l. quit
What do you mean?'
well, ~ salary is not very large,
and hav.5 to help some others besides
myself, you know. ard have cast
iron de;c 'miration 10 put something
into the ;,ank each month, and, not
having an inherited fortune at my
back, / couldn't appear every time with
a. box of expensive candy OF bunch OF
violets, 3ud couldn't take the girls
to the oDe:a in carriage, and 1ound
that the brightest smiles were Tor inc
fellows VINO did that sort OF thing; SO.
naturally, retired from the contest"
"Oh, come. now-the girls aren't so
sordid ard calculating as all that. l
should think they would like fellow
all the better for knowing that he was
saving some of his money!
"Oh, :,ir!s!" retorted the young man,
with bitter cynicism. 'All they care
for feilow is for what they can get
out of MIN. They are all OF them
watching Oil, for the richest ones. The
rest OF Us are tolerated just as long
as we Will burn some sort OF incense
Expensive incense, Or none at all
at their >hrines. When they find that
that is not to be expected, they have
no further Use for u.s.
But Il tie girls invite you TO their
teas and dinners, and you accept, you
must recipI ocate in some way
"Oh, ! will keep the balance true.
| and little more. But they want the
earth Y)I have got to get busy and
spend every time for them, tell you,
or else yon meet the chilly eye. TO
paraphrase the good book, Every girl
is a friend to him that givcth gifts.
The last lin,e l went to see Ethel, two
other fellow: were there, and each one
of them had come laden. She was so
sweet aad attentive to them that she
couldn talk fast enough to them.
But few questions about my health
| since We last met were about all that
was coming to me-
| "You should have quoted to her an
other passage from the good book, He
that hatath gifts shall live
oh, is that there: We'll, the girls
| are all song to die young if that
comes true
It CHANGED that about the time when
this conversation took place another
incident Q, Cured which indicates that
the young man was not SO unjust as
some may think
merry and fashionable colored
cook named Amanda, the mairstay OF
certain family who enjoyed her
toothsome dishes. announced that she
was to be married soon. AS elegan,
gentlemen OF all shades, from jet black
to cafe all lait. had been frequent
callers, nobody was surprised.
II suppose that that Mr.. Jones, who
is the Ter down at the rs is the
happy man, Amanda" remarked hel
MISTRESS
mo, indeed, Mis- Ames. dat Teller
good 'nough to t1irt round with 9
little. but he ain de kind l gwine
marry. No, gwine marry dat Henry
Jackson lie work down to de Contra
livery stable"
why, Amanda. we all thought Mr.
Jones was the one. Isn't he better
looking and more gentlemanly thar
Mr.. JacksoE?'
Dat all may be, Mis- Ames, but he
don spen' 10 money-dat Jones don't
Now Mr.. jackson. he spen' is money
for me right along, mos every day
an dats re kin for me. reckon
done chose dc bes' one. Mr. Jones' hi
pretend he feel awful bad, hut hi
oughter spent more on me-maybe
he'd a got me den.'
This is materialistic epoch, anl
both Amanda and the girls whose So
ciety the cynical young man had re
nounce.l were permeated with the
} spirit Of the age. which is doubles:
also more or less the spirit of al
the ages. hut the girls should remem
Der that 'he same good book from
which the young man and his frient
had culled so much wisdom, declare!
explicitly that righteousness, under
standing. knowledge. and several othe
} qualities arc more important than gold
There is really scarcely any more I'M
} attractive quality in the young, to say
!; nothing of it's moral aspect, than cal
! culation CT greed: but there is reason
! to fear that something akin to then
!, is tacitly or openly taught and prac