Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1906-03-03

wifely expression that she always dons
on such occasions. Suddenly SHE
looked up.
"T.ook! Quick! Out of the window
Jack. No, the other way. There she
goes"
by love, what pretty glrl!2 ex.
claimed. "Who is she:'
"BHt you We're looking the wrong
way" said Polly. "and that wasn't the
girl | meant"
81 was looking at the girl across the
ST e't," | said, "and she WAS quite the
prettiest girl | have ever Seen-except
one" | added, dutfuIly.
Polly set the kettle down with n
thump that Jared the teacups.
"Of course she wasw she exclaimed.
1.-THE girl across the street always is.
There isn't man living who doesn't
worship some girl across the street.
She's like the girl You couldn't get. the
fish you didn't catch ana the cake you
didn't eat"
r,ti m,.' +''a 81 girl! Why, Polly, she was
"Per-oxidew
"--and Gibson"
"Conceited"
"-and Burne-.Iomps -"
cloud"
"---all in One!"
Polly sighed as she turned TO put n
light under the kettle.
Its always that way" she said, re-
signedly. "The girl across the street.
like the girl he didn't get, always is n
mans ideal. If lie never marrics. he
carries her image about in his heart,
or her !,lp h9toGGEnRh aAREtr i" hi6I"01Iich
may meet If he does marry somebody
else she becomes sweet memory that
rises every time his wife burns the bis
cults or forgets to take her hair out of
curl papers. Why is it," and Polly
tilted her little nose upward until she
looked almost dignihcd, chat the mere
fact that a girl doesn't want to marry
a man makes him wild to get herr"
"Polly," said l, "dO you remember
when you were very little girl how
you used TO lie awake nights trying
to catch Santa Claus? DO you recol-
lect how the jam OIL the top shelf was
always the kind you liked best? Did
you never long TO see the other side
Of the moon, or eat what wasn't good
for you or play with the naughty lit
tie girl whom You were forbidden to
speak to? It's human nature. The
Elusive. the unattaiuabie: the thing we
cannot get always has been and always
will be the thing we want"
Polly pushed back little curl that
will get into her eyes, and began cut
ting lemon, meditatively.
Eyes" she agreed. "but it's different
with woman. She always feels q
sort Of resentment toward the man who
won't fall in love with her, while n
man Ether respects woman fer re-
fusing him and admires her for snub-
bling him. The longer she remains on
the other side of the street."
Chat is it," I broke in, "the longer
she remains on the other side of the
street. But have observed that it is
generally very easy to cross over your
self, AMI then"
"And then she is no longer the girl
across the street?' broke in Polly.
waving half lemon triumphantly.
Then she loses her illusion, her attrac-
ton. 1t is rs if you had turned the
limeight off the leading lady in the
play. Her Titan hair becomes red;
YOU observe that her nose turns up at
the end; her diamonds are only paste,
and her figure is nothing more nor less
than the result of wearing n straight
front corset. The stock market falls,
and you are glad TO sell out your in
terest in the girl Mt the very lowest
figure. The very fact that she has
succumbed TO your cntreates or your
destinations, the very fact That she
loves you, or is willing to hirt with
you"
"Polly, will youput down that lemon
1t is taking the color out of me al
ready"
Polly subsidized.
Oct me ask YOU" ! went on. seri-
ously. "why, il you girls know all this,
do you so often cross the street your
Selves
"What do you mean?' said Polly.
"You send MS sofa pillows" | re-
torted
Polly WINGED.
And necktic cases" went on, land
| invite us to violet teas"
"Mr. Heayyreather," said Polly, will
yOn kindly pass the SUGAR.
passed.
Polly took two Jumps with the dig.
| nifty Of .ragedy queen.
at is evident" she remarked, in n
tone like the trickling Of ice water,
"that your charms have made you n
victim of feminine attentions. But"
she continued. "there are girls and
girls. Tie kind TO whom you have
reference never were like the girl on
the other side of the street. They
never gave you nor any other man an
opportunity TO observe them from a
distance.
"You rcvcr had any perspective on
them at all. They were the nine girls