The San Francisco call., 1906-12-23
READS AND MISSES
THE M|STLETOE

Among the companies of Christmas
shoppers boarding an O'Farrell-street
car at Van Ness avenue last evening
was a bevy of girls of pleasing aspect
and merry humor, and one of the party
carried large and suggestive bunch
of mistletoe. It Is quite right to have
that adjunct OF the peach" tree about
the house during the holidays, show
ing at the front window or attached to
the chandelier in the dark hallway, and
1t is not in bad taste to carry the twig
home yourself. That is what this girl
did, and she was too pretty not to be
otherwise than in good taste.
The car was suffering from the Hibbs
Illusion and there were no seats for
the girls when they crowded into the
closed part of the conveyance. Those
passengers already seated realized that
1t was not true that the car was
crowded, and SO were oblivious to the
fact that fair damsels were hanging
suspended from the leather loops swung
high overhead. And though the pretty
girl under the mistletoe stood directly
in front of a bright-looking youth, he
was so filled with the Hibbs point of
view and SO interested in the human
drama presented by the want adj
columns of an Oakland paper that he
could not see the beauty dangling from
q strap before his very eyes.
MAIDEN HUNG THERE
The girl with the mistletoe had q
small hand. yet 1t was large enough to
firmly grasp the rigging of the car and
at the same time to clutch in graceful
fashion the bunch Of green which is the
timber that Cupid makes his arrows OF.
AS the car swayed and rocked and
showed sporadic symptoms of jumping
the track the little pendulous girl clung
like devotee of the fetish of Curfew
sun was slowly setting DER the green
hills, and over her pretty golden head
was this bunch of mistletoe.
This Is slow car" she lisped
sweetly to her girl companions and her
violet eyes twinkled. Her companions
giggled. The young man was intensely
interested in the pressing demand for
chauffeurs OF baby carriages in Ala
media
A sharp-eyed young man standing
near the forward doorway sew the sit
uation and he commenced to edge to-
ward the very pretty girl His plot
was detected by one OF the charming
comrades OF the Mistletoe Miss and she
set her parasol at fixed bayonets and,
blocked the play. IT beg your pardon"
she whispered gently, as she dug her
trusty steel into his watch fob.
FOUND CAR SLOW
"This is a slow car" again whispered
the fair-haired one. her red lips barely
moving. The young man before her
was now vitally moved by the trading
In cows among the San Leandro rustics
and that stirring tale. or something,
brought the rush OF blood to his cheeks.
But he did not raise his eyes to the
appealing face or the bunch of mistIe-
toe.
A fresh boy, wearing college button
in his lapel, was at the rear door Of the
car, and he grew wise to the bunch of
opportunity at the strap and made q
flank movement toward 1t, following
the path OF the conductor. and, like
that biuecoated official, he, too, was
after the fair. But he didn't arrive
Another member Of the party was on
the alert and stepped sternly and with
a great power Of repression on his toe.
That ended his sally for mistletoe.
Now the car was full Of filters. for
the maiden under the dark green twie
had been sighted by every ono on board
save him whose eyes were directed
solely to the lodge meeting notices OF
| Temescal. And he, of all those aboard
held the advantageous position
At Scott street the girls got on. Niss