Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1906-06-09
AStOrygW Woman Eufuil..
lOriginal.l

~
of course to enjoy youth we should
have the facilities for doing SO. / was
at that age member of a 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 a 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 al
that age wish to be, but are not
matchmakers. Nothing could be de-
vised so well calculated to drive two
young people of opposite sex apart as
to tell them that they are intended for
each other Mary Lockwood and I
Quarreled from the first. She soon be
gan to say sharp things to me, and |
retOrted by indifferently 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 a
number of witty sayings that tended
to make me 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 well aware
of our feud, stepped up to her, took
her in my arms, and in the scuffle that
ensued she bit my cheek
got my revenge in this wise: When
the furniture was cleared for dance
l stepped up to her and asked her to
dance with me. l believed she would
refuse, and she did, before the assem-
bled company. Here was something
that could notice. From that time
forward paid no attention to her
whatever. This cast damper on our
festivities, and my sister begged me
to apologize to Mary but when 1 asked
for what ! should ask pardon she bad
no reply. Matters went on from bad to
worse till we dispersed. When Mary
LocssWood departed she left me note
apologsising for having refused to dance
with NE III my s Own hoome. If she had
given me this before she went we
might have parted friends. :sasEgE- L.
After graduation I studied my pro-
fesssii10n- 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 Voting
people got together for semiweekly
dances, and Mary Lockwood was
among them l was delighted when a
friend of mine asked me to join the
Rug Beaters," as they called them
selves, and consented. heard nothing
more of the matter till spring, then
learned that Mary Lockwood had
''hala!ckpalled" me-. -.
I began to feel what it's to have the
enmity of woman. Till learned of
this serious overt act 1 did not con
slider our quarrel of any Importance,
but now 1 did not dare to make any
move where she could stab me. Ny
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 I 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" l was surprised that
physician should not know what
knew by actual experience.
One evening at a ball saw my
enemy among the throng. had never
seen her before in a ball dress and
was surprised at her queenly appear
aAce. 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. / could not conceive
of man thus doing so, and the wo-
mans act seemed to me all the baser
that she had been my sisters guest
Nevertheless l pitied her. While I was
studying her face she turned toward
me. She looked away at once and with
an expression much the same as l had
l determined to tell her what thought
of her keeping me out of the rug
Beaters" and, going up to her, babe her
good evening. l was received about as
had expected and giving her my arm,
took her out of the throng. Seated in
a coy nook unobserved, / spoke to
her of my sisters introducing us and
her good intentions in doing so. Then
l pictured how the matter might have
turned out had we not begun a useless
and harmful quarrel. 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 1 could not
see her facet felt her hand laid on
mine. Bending forward, 1 saw tears
in her eyes.
l could not now repeat the steps by
which we were in a few moments-if