Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1906-11-15
her BAD
MAN NERS

how did you like Jessie?"
The other young man raised
handsome but bored countenance and
stretched himself languidly. Good
time enough" he said. The Whit
tons know how to entertain all right,
and Jessie Wilton is a mighty fine
girl-but they had queer people there!
Really, not at all our kind!"
who were they?" asked the man
in the gray suit.
The handsome young man frowned
There was a girl" he said, indif-
ferently. Il don't know when anyone
has irritated me as Miss Hartmere
did Girls who have been brought up
gracefully always bestow some inter-
est on a fellow when they are intro
duced. Why, Jessie Whitton said she
was perfectly delighted to meet me
and it was so lovely of me to accept
her fathers invitation when / must
have so many calls on my time. But
this Miss Hartmere just sort of nodded
at me after one long, calm glance that
seemed to take me in from child
hoods happy hour down to the pres
ent time and then deliberately aban-
doned me to talk to queer-looking
person they said was a professor of
something.
why on earth a girl who is per-
fectly stunning-that is, she would
be rather good-looking if she had de-
cest manners-should want to waste
time on a dry professor is beyond me-
Just disinterestedly thinking about it
spoiled my dinner. l dislike being
irritated, so / purposely ignored her
after dinner and devoted myself to
Jessie Whitton, who seemed to have
some appreciation of what one eX-
poets from a girl. She arranged to
play golf with me next morning and
listened attentively to my remarks"
did Miss Hartmere seem hurt?"
inquired the young man in the gray
suit.
The handsome young man frowned
again. ooh, she was walking on the
terrace with the professor" he ad-
mitted. And she laughed a great
deal, but of course, that was just to
convey the impression she was having
good time-I know girls little
tricks! When l suggested next MORN
ing, out of politeness, that she join
the golf expedition, she said she hated
golf and declined. Now, doesn't it
seem to you a girl who was thought.
full and liked to please other people
would sink her own preferences?
Jessie Whitton hunted all the lost
balls for me, because she said any
fine game as 1 did should not have
his mind distracted with mere labor.
She's a girl, tell you, who has some
sense!
Still, that evening when l CHANGED
to sit down by Miss Hartmere and
had a chance for a conversation to
find out if she had any redeeming
qualities I rather wished Jessie had
gone away and stopped her chatter.
She is all on the surface. l could tell
that Miss Hartmere was bored by it,
though there was no need of her show
ing 1t so plainly. Oh, yes, she was
civil enough, but she lacked the win
ming qualities a fellow likes in
woman"
Weren't there other people there
so that you could drop Miss Hartmere
out of your calculations?" asked the
young man in the gray suit.
ooh, yes" admitted the other. But
a fellow doesn't like to be rude, you
know. l felt it my duty to be as nice
20 he, 70 thn oct I ,rrIf oh. "a
liked heavy conversation, judging from
her fondness for the professors so.
ciety, I'd show her he had no monopoly
on intellect, so | started to explain the
Russian situation to her, but she
stopped me. She looked right at me
with those queer brown eyes of hers
they have gold spots in them-and
asked me in the sweetest, coolest
voice possible if / didn't think it
waste of time for people not well in
formed on a topic to discuss it, and
then began to talk about the weather
and the scenery. But Jessie never
would make mistake like that. She
said when / talked with her that it
was a pleasure to get the well-balanced
views of a man on live questions"
Then why didn't you stick to
Jessie?"
The handsome young man passed
his hand over his brow. "Oh, I'm
always interested in new types" he
said. And Miss Hartmere was one.
Sometimes she would appear to forget
| was there or that l had said any
thing and she did not seem at all en-
barrassed when she came out of her
trance. She was utterly regardless of
my feelings or my wishes and yet
she smiled serenely."
Il should think you would have
been relieved to escape from such an
unsatisfactory young woman" COM
mented the young man in the gray
suit.
Il certainly was!" said the hand
.a,,,o ,,o,,nu man FIRMLY