Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-11-16
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short letter, but l neeu 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
beautiful home, with a regular park
for 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 few days.
It's a regular house party, you see,
and everybody is crazy over horse
back riding. My uncle David hates
automobiles, and everytime one of
his rich neighbors gets new one
he goes and buys another horse, so
there are mounts for us all. You
ought to have seen us last week, gal
Looping over these country roads.
Well, to get to the point. Uncle
David went to town last Saturday
and we promised him that 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 wanted
to go, so at last we started out-Bab
and her husband, Isabel and DR..
Burt, and Paul and I.
You ought to have seen us-all
logged for the rain! had on coat
and cap of my Cousin Jacks. But
caps wouldn't stay on, so we put
them into our pockets. Then Bar
baras hair came down, completely
such hair, Betsy!-and every hairpin
was lost. 1t was a terrible wind,
of course, but 1 can't help thinking
that Barbara made the most of it.
She knew very we'll that she looked
like an October magazine cover, with
all that goldy-brown mass Of hair
flying.
She made the conventional fuss
said she couldn't go another step
and all that. Then DR.. Burt asked
If she'd go provided Isabel and 1
would let down our hair, too. Well,
Bah said she would 1 do think
girl might be past such tricks after
she's married-though, of course,
as far as she knew-well, anyway,
you can imagine how felt, Betsy.
Little Isabel naturally didn't mind.
She shook out her short pigtails
without a murmer. But said NO"
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 in
sisted that l wouldn't take down my
hair, the more they insisted that l
should. And such impertinent jokes!
DR.. Burt kept asking me If there was
anything I'd like to slip quietly into
his pocket He said his wife wore
OiOB anu hC hhC" Oil clDOub lie hCh
they all shouted except Paul.
At last Mr.. Morgan had thu effron-
terry to begin pulling out my hair
pins, and DR.. Burt was starting to
help him when l got on my dignity.
1 told them 1 could do it-rather
than disappoint Uncle David-if Bar
bara insisted, but that should do it
myself. Then 1 ordered those two
married meA to ride ahead with their
own companions, and I did it in a
way that made them go! That left
Paul with me, poor boy! He was
trying so hard to look Indifferent.
Well, 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 1 said,
~Oh, see Isabel's horse!"
While Paul vas looking at the
horse 1 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 was wearing, where l left my
hairpins and-well, you know.
1t was the neatest thing! In the
wink of an eye, that unsuspecting
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 its down,
Betsy. It's only when it's up that it
needs the extra braid so much It's
rather short, to be sure, but it has a
kink and flufiness that help.
Anyway, both those married men
were perfectly crest fallen when they
glanced back. You'd think they had
counted on seeing me baldheaded
after my topknot was down. But
Paul looked perfectly happy.
We rode like mad after that, not
to miss the train, and our hair
streamed out behind like the hero
ines in a novel, and--weH,. If my
cheeks we're half as red or my eyes
half a shiny as Bab's and Isabel's
were, can't blame Paul very much
for acting like a goose and calling
me gypsy queen" and such names.
But, Betsy, from that hour things got
serious. put him off as long as l
could, and then there came
time
Now, ] don't know what to do.
For I can't helm knowing that mat