The Washington herald., 1907-03-03

March" remarked Kitty, glancing
speculatvely up at the uncertain skies
and then down at her thln-soled boots. lis
such an unreliable month"
It's so like a woman" / murmuTed,
carefully guiding her between two mud
puddles. "You can never be prepared Tor
what it is going 10 do next"
Just as you are beginning to think that
It IS going 20 be fair continued Kitty.
ignoring me.
And that she is going to smile upon
you" l interpolatcd
"'The clouds spring I'D from nowhere
and for no reason whatever"
There IS a squall, or storm, or
freeze. or a quarrel" / finished, shaking
my head. sadly, and turning abruptly into
q side path
Still. unused kitty, with meditative
smile, its rather interesting
What's rather interesting" I demand
ed March Or
Not 20 know explained Kitty. There
wouldn't be any fun if the weather OF
woman was mOn0tonously pleasant all
the time would there?"
NO" 1 agreed dcubtfuliy, nor If eth
er of them stormed ali the time"
ITS the uncertainty" continued Kitty,
picking her way daintily along the edge
Of the path. that makes love or the
weather or a woman interesting. Love
isn't d waltz in which you 90 round and
round in the same old circle, holding on
10 ore another; it's a miuuet IN which you
90 forward and backward and chassee--''
And dodge"
And balance"
And salute your partner
and then salute somebody elses part
ner." added Kitty wickedIy. looking up at
me sidewise from under the brim Of her
hat. And the girl who can keep on chas-
seeing and lodging and backing the most
gracefully and the longest without step
ping on aHybOdy's toes or his eSotism Is
the one who wins the-the prize
"Or the man.. I finished But unless
you know the rules OF the dance and fol-
low them religiously, and are an expert
on side-stepping and reversing and turn
ing corners. you are likely to get mixed
up and entangled in all sorts OF uncom-
Portable situations and compromising pO-
sitions and"
Il know It," sighed Kitty; I'm in one
now" and in her absorption she put one
patent leather shod foot deliberately into
a puddle.
Get out OF st." 7 exclaimed, referring
10 the puddle. Go back
at cant" protested Kitty. walking
heedIessly straight through the mud.
without cutting him."
I groaned.
Il suppose you'ye been making some
body else think YOU cared for him.
muttered. reproachfully.
Il suppose l have agreed Kitty
That's 50 easy. The trouble is that
made him think he cared for me-"
THAT ought to be easy. too" I re-
marked, considering your dimples.
oh. but il wasn't declared Kitty. put
ting both hands in her muff and trudging
on hurriedly That's why 1 did IT, Every
body said I couldn't. You see. he IS very
spoiled and conceited, and rich and eli
gible. and popular, and cynical. and blase
and-aud things And il wasn't my dim
pies that did il. Il was my method
ooh. I seet' I exclaimed 1T was the
way YOU lodged and balanced and
Yes" agreed Kitty. but first Of al It
was the way I 'saluted.'
WHAT"
'FIattered him, Mr.. Curtis; and invited
him 10 call. and was charming and pleas
ant and sympathetic and interested. and
talked 70 him about himself and his am
billions and his destinations and
Fed him sugar and taffy and COM
/ pliments"' I interpreted.
Yes acQuiesced Kitty. And then.
I just as he was beginning to think he had
added another scalp TO his collection. l.
/ retreated.' And Kitty gurgled behind
+ her mud
What's that?'' I demanded.
/ IT'S what they do in a minuet." ex-
planned Kitty. Il -sidestepped.
/ you know. That's what a girl does when
+ she's out when you call, and doesn't see
you unless she stumbles over you and
never has a dance left for you. and for
/ gets 10 acknowledge your roses or To keep
/ her enga gements with you. and glances
/ beyond you. or over you. or through you
when you speak. And. of course" added
I Kitty. as though the matter We're def
nitely settled. ''he ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "
/ -''Of course I agreed. And then you
! chasseed.
Il beg your pardon. Mr. Curtis"
That's what a girl does" I retoTted.
when she keeps You in a constant state
I Of doubt and hope. It's a sort Of seesew,
( in which when you 60 10, she goes down;
when YOU take a step forward, she takes
one backward; when you smile she
/ frOwHs. and when you sigh she smiles;
when you ask for a dance or an engag e-
ment she refuses you, and when you start
/ 20 so away angry. she calls you back,
when you become indignant and naughty,
/ she becomes tender and sentimental. and
then. just as you get of your guard and
your pedestal and attempt 10 be senti-
mental, She
why, how 90 you know all that, Mr..
/ Curtis?7 Interrupted Kitty in astonish-
ment
"Oh. I've seen a cat playing with a
mouse. I replied nonchalantly. It's a
very brutal game"'
It's a very difficult one" sighed Kitty.
gazing pensiveIy up at the dripping
/ branches Of the trees And that's why
so many women fail at it. Chasseeing is
the most perplexng figure IN the minuet
/ OF love. woman is so likely to let a
man get too far away-far enough either
to forget her or to ind another woman;
/ or to become disguised, or Indifferent, or
/ tired Of the game Or else the minute he
turns his back on her she flies into a
panic and sends him notes and sofa pill
lows and apologies and pipe racks And
then, Of course. il is all over with her
and the game is in his hands; and even if
{ he does come back which he usually
doesn't. il is he vino makes the terms
and she who becomes the mouse and is
played with. and kept in doubt. and HOPE.
and hot water for the rest OF her lie
It's knowing just how many steps TO take
I forward and how many TO take back