The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1907-11-20
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Dearest Bettina: This must be a
short letter, but l need your advice,
and l need it quick. Please tele-
graph your answer. No, on second
thought, that won't do. But write
by return mail.
I'm having a glorious time in the
country, after all. My uncle has a
beautiful home, with a regular park
for a yard, and his big house has all
the comforts and none of the dis
comforts of a steam-heated fiat. Bar
bara Morgan and her husband are
here, and little Cousin Isabel has a
boarding school chum visiting her
and DR.. Burt almost lives here while
his wife's away, and last week Paul
Herrick came out for a few days.
It's a regular house party, you see,
and everybody is crazy over horse
back riding. My uncle David hates
automobiles, and eyerytime one OF
his rich neighbors gets a new n
he goes and buys another horse, 90
there are mounts for us all. You
ought to have seen us last week, gal
loping over these country roads.
Well, to get to the point. Uncle
David went to town last Saturday
and we promised him that a mounted
escort of at least six should accom-
pany his carriage when it came to
the station to meet him that after
noon. It's about two miles from the
house. Then a storm came up-a
bowling wind and rain-and Barbara
was for backing out. She's so diff
ferent from what she was before she
got married! But Paul and I wanted
to go, so at last WI started out-Bab
and he- husband. Isabel and DR..
Burt, and Paul and I.
You ought to have seen us-all
logged for the rain! had on a coat
and cap Of my Cousin Jacks. But
caps wouldn't stay on, so we put
them into our pockets. Then Bar
bara's hair came down, completely
such hair, Betsy!-and every hairpin
was lost. It was a terrible wind,
Of course. but I can't help thinking
that Barbara made the most of it.
She knew very well that she looked
like an October magazine cover, with
all that go%ldy-brown has Of hair
flying.
She made the conventional fuss
said she couldn't go another step
and all that. Then DR.. Burt asked
il she'd go provided Isabel and I
would let down our hair, too. Well,
Bah said she would. I do think a
girl might be past such tricks after
she's married-though, Of course,
as far as she knew-well, anyway.
you can imagine how I felt, Betsy.
Little Isabel naturally didn't mind.
She shook out her short pigtails
without a murmer. But I said mo"
That was the signal for mischief.
Paul didn't do anything-only hung
back and looked worried - but DR..
Burt and Mr.. Morgan rode up along
side my pony, and the more 1 in
sisted that I wouldn't take down my
hair, the more they insisted that l
should. And sucn impairment jokes!
DR.. Burt kept asking me if there was
anything id ike to slip quietly into
his pocket. He said his wife wore
one, and ne knew all about it. Then
> they all shouted except Paul.
At last. Mr.. Morgan had tn, effron-
terry to begin pulling out my hair
pins, and DR.. Burt was starting to
help him when 1 got on my dignity.
I told them i could do it-rather
than disappoilt Uncle David-if Bar
bara insisted, but that I should do it
myself. Then I ordered those two
married mel to ride ahead with their
own companions, and I did it in a
way that made than go! That left
Paul with me, poor boy! He was
trying so hard to look Indifferent.
Well, I put up both hands and
carefully extracted all the pins, hold
ing the coil of hair right in the place
until the last instant. Then L said,
"Oh, see Isabel's horse!"
While Paul was looking at the
horse I let my hair drop over my
left shoulder, and, at the same in
slant, ran my hand swiftly down its
length into the wide pocket of the
coat I was wearing, where I left my
hairpiDs and-well, you know.
1t was the neatest thing In the
wink Of an eye, that unsuspectins
Paul was looking at me again, and
there I was, calmly shaking out my
name, and pinning the pocket shut
with a hatpin. You know my hair
doesn't look so sparse when it's down
Betsy. It's only when it's up that il
n needs the extra braid so much. It's
rather short, to be sure. but it has q
I kink ard a fiufiness that help.
anyway, both those married mer
were perfectly crest fallen when they
glanced back. You'd think they hat
: counted on seeing me baldheadet