The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1906-06-01
AStoryg Woman Ennlity
fOriginal.7

boys and girls are coming OF age! But
of course to enjoy youth we should
have the facilities for doing so. / was
| at that age a member of large fam
| lily, and my fathers home was in the
| country. In summer and during the
winter holidays we children, growing up
into manhood and womanhood, always
had house full of our young friends.
| When L came home from college in
| my senior year for the winter holidays
| my sister told me that she had invited
her especial friend, Mary Lockwood
for my particular benefit. Sisters at
! that age wish to be, but are not,
matchmakers. Nothing could be de-
| vised SO we'll calculated to drive two
| young people of opposite sex apart as
| to tell them that they are intended for
! each other. Mary Lockwood and l
! quarreled from the first. She soon be-
| gan to say sharp things to me, and
| retorted by indifferentIy drawing out
| compliments that were palpably iron
! ical In our games | would choose her
! on my side, then sheer at her play.
| She was very bright and poured out
| number of witty sayings that tended
! to make me a laughingstock. But the
most vengeful thing she did during her
| stay was to step deliberately under the
mistletoe when | was nearest to her,
thus daring me to kiss her. Egged on
by the others, who were all we'll aware
of our feud. stepped up to her, took
her in my arms, and in the scuffie that
ensued she bit my cheek.
l got my revenge in this wise: When
the furniture was cleared for a dance
I stepped up to her and asked her to
dance with me. I believed she would
refuse, and she did, before the assem-
bled company. Here was something
that I could notice. From that time
forward I paid no attention to her
whatever This cast damper on our
festivities, and my sister begged me
to apologize to Mary, but when I asked
for what Should ask pardon she had
no reply. Matters went ON from bad to
worse till we dispersed. When Mary
Lockwood departed she left me a note
apologiZing for having refused to dance
with me in my own home. If she had
given me this before she went we
might have parted friends.
After graduation I studied my pro-
fessiOn-medicine-in the city in the
neighbOrhood of which we lived and
from which our friends had come to
visit us. A very select set of young
people got together for semiweekly
dances. and Mary Lockwood was
among them. l was delighted when
friend Of mine asked me to join the
Rug Beaters," as they called them
selves, and consented. l heard nothing
more of the matter till spring, then
learned that Mary Lockwood had
"blackballed" me-
I began to feel what it is to have the
enmity of a woman Till | learned of
this serious overt act I did not con-
slider our quarrel Of any Importance,
but now I did not dare to make any
move where she could stab me. My
most intimate friends We're members
of the Rug Beaters,' and I would not
join any other club, SO my winters
amusement was spoiled.
One day while | was listening to a
lecture at the medical school on nerve
structures the professor said: women
are especially subject to nerve tension.
Men fight each other for many differ
ent causes; women quarrel from nerv-
Gus strain and are more apt to have
parOXysms of anger with those they
like than those to whom they are in
different" I was surprised that a
physician should not know what /
knew by actual experience.
One evening at a ball l saw my
enemy among the throng. [ had never
seen her before in a ball dress and
was surprised at her queenly appear
ance. l noticed, however, that there
was a sad look in her eyes. 1t quite dis
armed my just Indignation at her hav-
ing injured me. I could not conceive
of man thus doing so, and the We
mans act seemed to me all the baser
that she had been my sisters guest.
Nevertheless | pitied her. While was
studying her face she turned toward
me- She looked away at once and with
an expression much the same as | had
l determined to tell her what l thought
Of her keeping me out of the Rug
Beaters" and, going up to her, babe her
good evening. I was received about as
had expected and, giving her my arm,
took her out of the throng Seated in
a coy nook unobserved, l spoke to
her of my sisters introducing us and
her good intentions in doing so. Then
| pictured how the matter might have
turned out had we not begun useless
and harmful quarrel. l spoke regret
fully of my own shortcomings and was
about to enter upon informing her that
knew she had turned an enemy in
my path to injure me when-her head
was turned from me so I could not
see her facet felt her hand laid on
mine. Bending forward, I saw tears
in her eyes.
l could not now repeat the steps by
which we were in a few moments-if
Cp yxyaro NOT inctapt1u from,