The Cairo bulletin., 1906-06-16
Story Of a Real Person.
ny T. M GOODMAN.

bird OF paradise with the GROUP!
had danced once with her and at
tempted three polite Conversations
openings as we sat in coy corner
between the schoolroom door and the
conservatory. but nothing in her care
ful department or murmured monosyl-
tables had prepared me for this.
recalled my thoughts from the
waste places of detection which they
were so painfully exploring. and pre-
pared to answer fool according to her
| folly.
You are either real person" re-
piled. "or an ill-brought-up young
woman. Real persons are rare. There
| are only half-a-dozen or so in each
generation, So the alternative is the
more probable"
She did not take up the challenge:
there was nothing of the hoyden about
my partner. She continued the sub
feet in a spirit of impartial inquiry.
Il think you must be mistaken about
that" she remarked. 81 know several
real persons. Now. there Is my maid.
AS a maid she is too bad not 10 be
true. Her temper leaves much TO be
desired, and most persons would man
age TO sew better with bone needle.
But she is real person, so keep her.
should keep her even If she hit me
with a hair-brush.
My partner was exceedingly we'll
ftt cd al oh,
herself. or she was an untruthful per-
son. revolved the question in silence
till the girl said coolly:
Yes, dressed myself Auntie par
ticularly told me to look nice"
The conversation languished, but I
was not bored. The next dance had
begun and the schoolPoom passage
was deserted. I recalled the mental
arithmetic lessons | had shared with
my cousins before | went to Winches-
hopeless Darkness of forgetting the
problem while one was only halfway
towards the solution.
Poor old man." she said softly, let
ting her kind childish eyes rest on me
a moment.
81 sat just behind you after the
Lancers," she explained; II was sit
ting ont with your cousin Jim. He Is
a pig" she paused and looked at me
again with a gentlemanly air of apol-
ogy.
We heard what you said" she went
on, and what she said. And Jim. who
Is pig, is going to chaff you about 1t.
But I'm sofry-because we heard, and
because of 1t. l know the real thing.
you see" she said an smiled, and
shrugged her shoulders, looking rath-
er wistful; land ones always sorry
when it's wasted. Group should be
kept for common birds" She seemed
to imagine | should not hear this
/ managed, somehow, to express
kind of angry gratitude, an attempted
10 divert the conversation.
Il believe I've seen you somewhere
before, havn't ~" | asked.
Here" she said briefly, "once, at |
tea. My name is Marga.
ret, but you may remember they called |
me 'piglet.' | had Holland pinafores
and pigtails, when they had white
rocks and curls. 1t wasn't ill-treat. |
nent, she added. "but my hair used |
70 get into the ink"
The old butler came sailing down
he corridor and offered her a pink |
ce.
Hes rather sweet" she remarked. |
before he was well out of earshot. He
3retends he's forgotten all about the
ichoolroom serapes." Then she re-
urned to my affairs. "She only talked |
Ike that" my partner explained, be
'ause OF Mr.. Oliphant. But he isn't |
he real thing She'll forget all that.
You mustn't mind her being rather
lilly, you know, because she is a per-
ect dear. Most girls think a clergy
nan must be the real thing. especially
t he has a celibate vow. don't be-
,ause two of my brothers are curates.
ind even II | thought they were more
han human, Uncle George is a bishop. /
80 you see she isn't to blame. You
won't give up?" she asked rather anx-
ously.
assured her that | would not give /
ip-now.
You have put things in a different
ight," I told her.
Poor old man." she said again.
recognized In her eyes the look NV
gave me when | was
more than usually battered in Nursery
and reflected that my partner
must be at least six years my Junior,
She got up, smoothing her satin
rock.
Il mustn't miss my next dance" she
aid. Mr.. Pollitt dances like a deryish
DON'T annihilate Jim when he CHATS
'ou He is the sort OF pig who
be pig If he could help IT,"
I nodded. you may be a badly
young woman, but you,
90, are a perfect dear"