Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1907-12-05

topping in the act of climbing off the
refractory run and reseating herself
on its lid abstractedly. You can't do
both you know" she explained. at
sight of the Mere Mans interrogating
eyebrows, even at 81 house party. If
l don ""mble t bridge. I'll be snubbed
by the best people M if l refuse cham
payne at dinner, Ill be considered Il
damper. and if don't tiirt l won't
have any fun. It's just like a man."
h finished ~reproachfuliy. with a
dramatic wave of the hand. Ito tell
a woman to go out and swim, but not
go near the water
"Oh, WELL" retorted the Mere Man.
closing his eyes YEARLY, hang your
clothes on a hickory limb, if you want
to. Don't mind me-" and he took his
cigaret case from his pocket and struck
a match viciously.
But l don't want to-" returned the
Bachelor Girl promptly, and l do mind
you! If we women didn't mind you
men, we'd all be as good as gold and
as sweet and simple as sugar candy.
Every woman who ever made Il fool of
herself did it in order to please some
man. From the time you are old
enough to teach us to climb fences and
steal apples and play ticktack, you make.
it plain to us that those things are at
tractiVe and mat good little girls are
always left out of the game. Why do
you suppose a girl dyes her hair or
powder her nose? Is it because she add
mires butter colored ock and Il pastry
complexion and enjoys dabbling in
chemicals? Why do you suppose she
wears foolish French heels that make
her dizzy? Is it because she is pining
for Indigestion and a pain in her side?
Why do you suppose"-
Il hadn't supposed anything about
it," Interrupted the Mere Man impat-
nr,f1t sh.,t - IN, ~ n,t 49,.
that way to please us you are wasting
o u time. Men don't respect or adj
niire"-
Who wants to be respected and adj
mired-and left at home?' demanded
the Bachelor Girl protestingly.
We'll. men don't like hoydens or
blondined works of art" persisted the
Mere Man with blunt fnality.
"Of course, they don't" acquiesced
the Bachelor Girl. Theoretically. The
oretically, they adore The Gentle crea-
ture who sits by the fire with mother
and practices her finger exercises and
studies the cook book and goes to
church three times Il week and hasn't
a curl or Il curve that nature didn't
give her. nor an opinion nor Il taste that
81 didn't get out of Il copy book. But
when 1T cores TO practice, it's the girl
who can follow him over the fences
that the little boy invites to Join his
sport. and it's the girl who can keep
up with his paca that Il man enjoys
taking about and amusing himself with
and"-
"Certainly." agreed the Mere Man
pa~troniZingly. When we want TO play
we want a playmate. But when we
want n wife,"
You want a miracle," burst in the
Bachelor Girl desperately. you want
a creature who can look like a fashion
plate without siancing in a mirror:
who can cook and sew and drudge all
morning and sing and joke and coo to
you all evening; who can laugh at your
sporty stories while she meditates on
virtue and the bible, who can hole onto
heaven with one hand while she holds
onto you with the other: in short, who
can swim without going hear the water.
1T must be lovely to he married." and
the Bachelor Girl clasped her hands
round nee with a sigh.
That what I've always thought
began the Mere Man hopefully, and il
Id known you thought so. tool
AND To trim over last years hat
In order to a v money for your hus-
Dand.' continued the Bachelor Girl.
and then have him ask you why you
Didn't get something stylish like the
girl next door. who has $4,000 a year
n no responsibilities"
What"
Or to spend yo,r days studvinr
- p'tAN civ ct.NII jIIu DClng nOhle
n proper. and then suddenly discover
that your husband considers you SLOW
and lninteresting because you can't
ply poker and have forgotten how to
dance. But I'm not talking about the
women whom YOU arc going to marry.
I'm talking about the girl who isn't
married and VINO wants to have a good
lime. How IS she going to 90 ii and
I'VE up to your sta:tdafiso While she
- preserving her lignity learning
the usefu! arts you arc WASTING your
title and inoney on . girl who has
preserved her sense of humoi and
termed the arts of makeup and fat
tcly. While i is spending her DAYS
IN the pursuit Of virtue and KNOWLEDGE
ana Il husband. You are spending yours
IN the pursuit Of some foolish little
thins who doesn't know Il broom from
an esq beater and wouldn't know
"i.ai TO do with u rcruple IL she had
one. It's easy enough to be good" and
she leaned her chin in her hands med
~itattvely. gu It's pretty hard to be
lonesome"
II sou are pining to take the road
10 ruin" suggested the Mere Man dcs-
perately, TN mix you u cocktail this
,rinute--"
Mr.. Porter
Or light you u ciearet-"
How dare you" the Bachelor Girl
sat up stiffiy End elared at the Mere
Maii across the studio. Il hate the
taste of those things. Every woman
does. We don't want to be wicked
We only want to seem wicked-in or
DER to be attractive. We're all born
with orange marmaiade tastes, and
rs only because we lind that you pre-
fer caviare and pate de fois gras, tina,
we try to be caviare--"
And foolish" put in the Mere Man
Girl.
And unnatural"
And fascinating"
And frivolous"
That's it, declared the Bachelor
Girl cheerfully. slipping OF the ,run.