Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1905-03-03
BY KATE upsoN CLARK.

man was heard to remark that he was
at Miss Millicents house almost every
evening, there was naturally some sur
prise felt.
When Millicent was asked about the
matter, she colored little, and said:
Yes, he is here a good deal"
But you said you did not like
him"
OH don't dislike him so very much.
And you see, If the parlor isn't pretty
well filled with young men every night,
the impression gets abroad that one
isn't popular"
Then you encourage poor Henry to
come simply because he counts one
to make up the crowd?"
"Yes-that is about it. But | can't
see the harm He has a good time.
He generally has an ice or some lem
onade-or some of his own candy
when he brings box!-and we are all
nice to him"
Il suppose you must have some
young man on hand all the time,
whether you like him or not?"
'Well,p argued Millicent, defensive
ly, you don't think it is very agree
able for a girl to act as if nobody
liked her, do you? And if you haven't
any beau at all-why-what forlorn
thing you seem to be-"
Then when the one you really ike
comes along, you drop the dummy
SO to speak?"
Yes admitted Milicent, ingenu-
ously.
But how does the young man feel
who has been dropped to make way
for the conquering hero?"
"0h, he doesn't mind" averred MILL
cent, with nonchalance.
1t is, OF course, silly to insist that
young girl canrot receive visits, and
even small tokens of regard, like flow-
ers. confectionery and books, from young
men toward whom she has no warmer
Feeling than a friendly regard Young
men who are asked to dinner and other
entertainments by young women or
their parents, can properly recipro-
cate by such trifiing attentions.
But when a young man goes two or
three times a week to see a girl or
take her out, and the girl allows these
constant services, with smiles and ap-
parent satisfaction, he is quite justi-
fled in thinking that she has more
than merely friendly feeling for him.
ing-but this article is designed for
the girls, and the advice to him is
another story"
1t may be G. source of comfort to the
devoted youth to learn in the end that
he has been the means of, as it were,
bolstering up the girls credit until she
could secure the attentions of some
other young man whom she likes bet
ter. But as he is gradually retired
to the outer circle" and sees rich
err or handsomer or more gifted man
receiving the favors to which he has
been accustomed, the Substitute
lover" as he might be termed, is like
ly to find the consciousness OF his past
usefulness a rather bitter husk.
A certain Serena to whom this mat
ter was preached remarked illuminat-
ingly: Eyes, Emma is all for Jack
Horner now, and poor Tom Perry, who
has been most faithful for the past
year or so, just has to sit around and
suck his thumbs. 1t is too bad-but
Jack is really nicer than Tom, in ever
SO many ways-and you can't blame
Emma for trying to catch him"
ooh, that is all right. But why did
she so long and in such marked ways
encourage Tom?"
why, don't you see, a girl has got
to have somebody-and maybe if Jack
had not come around or anybody better
than Tom-Emma might have taken
Tom, in the end. You seem to think
that a girl always knows when she
is in love. Now, she really doesn't
If fellow is kind and generous, ant
pretty popular, girl naturally likes
to have him wait on her-and she does
not know that she is capable of lik
ing anybody any better, till suddenly
presto, the real hero appears, and hel
soul flies toward him. AS that deli
cious western Mrs. Malaprop says
1t is Exit HOMO and, in this case, i
is in double sense"
but she was so really pleased, APP
parently, with Tom, and said sucl
sweet things to him, and looked III
into his face with such soulful eyes
He certainly must have thought sh,
was in love with him. 1t was wha
used to be called 20 years ago, dies
perate fiirtation,' and when there il
a desperate Irritation somebody get
singed and hurt"
"Oh, it is all in the game" laughe,
Serena Emma is bright and pretty
and Tom had good time with her
and she likes well enough to have hin
come around and count one more il
filling up the parlors-and he will fin
plenty of girls who are glad To- com
fort him, so, as the Irishman said
Lave it go at that! "
AS this seems to be the platform
of the girls, and probably of the boys
also, we commend it to the careful
perusal of the over-affectionate an