The Washington herald., 1907-10-06
Rr HELEN ROWLAND

/ "Of course said the Mere Man, skill
/ fully leading the Bachelor Girl 10 a shad-
owy corner of the deck and artfully
placing two chairs In the very dimmest
recess. ii you prefer to sit in the light,
every boat, ike every question-has two
sides"
so has every man, retorted the Bache-
Tor Girl. taking a chair with sudden de-
cision. I'm not afraid 10 sit in the dark
with you, Mr. Porter"
why not?" demanded the Mere Man.
with touch Of unreasonable chagrln.
do you mean TO imply that I'm not
dangerous or fascinating, or"
ooh. no. rejoined the Bachelor Girl,
/ hastily, simply that you're sensible
/ The Mere Man made a WY face.
And not sentimental" continued the
! Bachelor Girl. very sweetly. It's such
/ a comfort 20 meet a man on the right
side" she added, with a gentle sigh.
THE right side? OF what-forty. or
the boat, or the question. Or"
! "Of himself" interposed the Bachelor
/ Girl, deftly tucking in the frilly ends Of
her pleated skirts and leaning back lux
uriously in the breeze. Every man is
| born a Jekyl and Hyde q sinner and
saint; and, unless you understand the
combination you never can tell when lie
is going TO turn from one 20 the other,
from nice, sensible, amiable, devoted
friend toto"
''Wen?" the Mere Man Kicked his Gig
arctic impatiently.
ITO something horrid-a lover or an en-
1 envy or"
| "A lover or a-what,"
They're the same thing Nh Porter.
/ As q friend, a man can be as loyal to a
woman as 20 a man-and that Is say
/ ing everything AS a friend he can be
trusted 70 the uttermost parts Of the
earth: as a lover. be can't be trusted
round the corner. AS long as sentiment
doesn't enter into the equation or-or
/ the situation-he is the soul OF honor and
unselfshness; but the minute he begins
/ 20 firt with q woman or falls IN love
with her. # Is as If he had swallowed
/ the magic potion and changed 20 Mr..
+ Hyde over night He turns as suddenly
as a chameleon that has walked from
brown stem 60 a green leaf
-Whew" The Mere Man blew a long
pun OF smoke. And yet, he sighed re-
flscuvely, you seem to like it,
81 beg your pardon"
And are always ready 10 give Us
twist-lf we don't turn"
II don't understand you, Mr.. Porter"
You sit In dark corners with u.s." pUr-
sued the Mere Man repToachfuIly, "and
coax US 20 go stroNlng on moonlight
nights, and put sachet on your shirt
waists and lace on your pctticOats and
/ powder on your noses and poetry and
/ little helpful hints in your conversations.
land
Il pity a woman" broke IN the Bache-
/ Tor Girl hastily tuCkiug IN a bit Of
/ lace that showed above her patent leather
pump and trying 90 smooth back a curl
that was blowing across her nose, who
! has never had a man chUm. She doesn't
know what q really rue creature a man
/ can be. how devoted and liberal and
( honest and interesting"
Hear, Hear" cried the Mere Man.
waving his cigarette eNcItedly.
"A man chum viii do anything on
earth Tor q woman; run her errands. for
give her faults, get her out Of scrapes,
/ back her against anybody. fight for her.
and even. II necessary. lie for her, or"
/ cor 60 her" suggested the Mere Man
/ sententiously.
No" declared the Bachelor Girl, sit
ting up straight and bringing her heels
down with sharp little click 1T is only
/ when a man falls ia love with a woman
/ that be begins 90 DE 20 her"
/ Or The Mere Man dropped his Gig
arctic.
1T is only when he begins to notice
/ the color II her eyes and the way she
wears her hair or 10 take an interest in
/ her rutiies or her elbows that he sud-
/ denly lodges over 20 the other side and
/ becomes elusive and deceitful and crit
ical and moody and unreliable and I'M
Manageable"
And always thought" sighed the
Mere Man. that love transformed a
man"
TX doesn't" said the Bachelor Girl
decidedly 1t deforms him Il affects
him Just as it did that old couple OUT
West. who We're the best Of friends for
nfty-siX years and then got married and
fought for the rest of their lives There
wasn't any change in the woman nor
even in the man. He just turned around
on the seamy side and regarded the
woman from a different viewpoint Some
fighting instinct in a man. The minute
he begins 90 take "a sentimental interest
In a woman he gets up on the defensive
and sits there. He begins to look at
her through a microscope and to see all
her faults, 10 criucise her hats. and to
look for the kinks in her temper. He
starts TO analyze her and to sum her up
and 20 see II she'll do And everything
she does Go is misinterpreted Her slmp-
lest and most natural advances are con-
strUed as pursuit, her mildest vanities
as traps her very cordiality- Why,
I once knew a man that I could call on
at any hour of the day for help OF con
ISOLATION or company. until-untll-'
Go on" said the Mere Man as the
Bachelor Girl hesItated.
Well, until he-got silly"
which means?"
"Oh. that we went walking in the
moonlight. you know"
you mean you took him walking in
the moonlight"
And he suddenly noticed the color of
my eyes"
And that changed the color Of the
whole affair. Where is he now?" added
the Mere Man irrelevantly.
The Bachelor Girl sighed
Hes married. Mr.. Porter" she said
gently. But" she went on more cheer
fully, I'm glad 1 saw the best side of
him. Most women never see anything
but the seamy side Of a man"
"Humphr' growled the Mere Man Gym
ically. That's because they don't want
to. I never saw a woman yet who didn't
look hurt or offended when you offered
10 be a friend to her. And nothing in
suits one OF than worse fhan letting her