Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-19

quito had settled back of his ear and was
driving him mad.
'DreadfuI"' moaned Sister Ann 'Ad-
nah goes about signing all the day, and
looks overriding in the mirror, and takes
unseemly pains with her dressing, and
does up her hair with flowers. and has
feverishly pink cheeks and likes to sit in
n corner and brood. and takes long walks
by herself. and especially, especially,
seems fond of moonlight
A snake slid down off the bushes into
the water near the young man and he
wanted out but he stayed
Moonlight" shifted Sarah. Moon
light There is no language to express
the dsdain with which she spoke this
word of philandering and frivolity.
Moonlight is very pretty" ventured
the other. Il rather like 1t myself
AT your time of life!' retorted Sister
Sarah. You are too sentimental. Sister
Ann. as we'll as too careless"
THANK heaven they were going, The
young man waited until their voices died
in the distance. then crept cautiously to
the bank. He had to find those dogs. and
in hurry. He had just seated himself to
put on his shoes for the search, when he
again heard the voices of women and once
more plunged into the pool. like a monster
yellow frog. rs he reflected he must seem
TO the squirrels in the tree.
But. Aunt Matilda. how do you
know? he heard as he came up under the
belonged to a girl of such striking ap-
pearance that the young man was on the
point of forgetting his dilemma-until
that Internal mosquito settled down back
of his again,
My dear Adnah'' said jerky little
voice in answer. your aunts remember.
We're all young once. and considered great
beauties in their day" There was a world
of gentle pride in Aunt Matildas voice as
she said this. and it sounded 80 we'll that
al In
their day. In consequence they all had
their experiences with men, and know that
there is not one to be trusted. Not one, my
Child. not one Believe your aunts.''
1T seems impossible. aunty,' declared
the soft voice of Adnah. why, in that
magazine We're the pictures of some of
the most noble looking Greatness
Tut. tut, child. those are the very
worst kind. hastily interrupted Aunt Ma
tilda The more handsome they are the
more dangerous. Since you remain
so incredulous. however. 1 suppose I
shall have to tell you what we know about
them.
The young man in the pool felt his cir
cuation stopping. The two women were
calmly sitting down on the bank to talk
condolences. and from what he knew of
the sex they were as likely as not to sit
there until doomsday, compelling him to
appear before the angel Gabriel without
even shroud. He was conscious of the
beginning of cramp in his left leg and
his shoulders were becoming icy He had
to be motionleSS, too. and that was an
other hardship. The least movement might
betray him. for the women sat quite near.
and Adnah was facing him. Thanks to
the thickness of his leafy hiding place
she could not see him. but he could see
her quite plainly, and she was we'll worth
1..,1-i Inc LOTT clyf
black dress. and her brown hair was
parted in the center and smoothed down
over her ears. but there the resemblance
to Aunt Matilda and the others ended, for
her hair was wavy in spite of the severely
straight brushing. and it glinted gold
where little flecks of sunlight filtered
through the branches of the tall trees to
caress it. In the hair, too. was a single
red rose. caught into place with a natural
grace that it seemed a pity to waste on
three spinster aunts and two dogs and the
same note of color was repeated in an
other rebelious blossom at the throat.
The young face was plump and oval the
cheeks We're pink. the brown eyes were
wide and sparkling and oh, we'll. the
young man in the pool stopped catalogu-
ing her attractions and simply summed
her up as a stunningly pretty girl. Then
he tried once more to get rid of that mad
dening mosquito and wished to high
heaven that they would go! -
when our dear mother died We four
girls were all quite young began Aunt
Matilda. pausing to primly smooth down
her skirts. and the young man in the
watery prison gave up in despair. She
starting out like the dfashioned
story books, which never arrived any
place, and never knew how to get back If
they did Your Aunt Sarah was eighteen
years old. your Aunt Ann and myself six
teen, and your poor, deluded mother four
teen. Our father. child, married again
within the year, and so you see our ac-
quaintance with the duplicity of men be-
gan at very early age. OF course. we re-
fused to live with a stepmother or to allow
her to occupy our own dear mothers
house. Left, then upon our own response
bilities at so tender period of our lives,
it behoOved us to conduct ourselves with
the strictest of propriety, and l am most
happy TO say that We came triumphantly
through the ordeal. Naturally, we being
great beauties in those days. my child,
great beauties. many gay young men fut-
tered about us. and some of them really
made quite favorable impressions upon US.
There was one in PARTICULAR
Aunt Matilda paused for sigh and
fixed her eyes in sad "Reminiscences upon a
little cump of ferns that, full of conceit,
We're waving incessant salutes at their
dainty reflections in the water.
Hang the story of her life!' muttered
the miserable youth in the pool! His teeth
We're beginning to chatter.
do go on, aunty!" cried the eager
Adnah.
We'll. child. they We're all alike. Hav-
ing insnuated their way into conf
dences by agreeable manners, and by their
really indisputable attractiveness. having
aroused the beginnings of tender emo
tons. what did these young men do, one
and all? Why, instead of waiting until
the acquaintance had ripened into mutual
undying affection and then falling grace
fully to their knees with honorable pro-
posalS of marriage. they one and all chose
what seemed to be favorable moments and
StrOve, by cajolery or stealth even
force to kiss us To kiss u.s.!
Gracious, exclaimed Adnah.
There moments silence. The
young man in the pool could feel the
soose-flesh pimping between his shoulder
blades.
After all though it might not haze
been very dreadful, finally commented
Adnah. after thoughtful sigh.
''Adnah,' cried the Mortified Aunt Ma
tiida. Il am astounded!''
II can't help 1t, aunty. said Adnah.
II cant make il seem terrible no mat
ter how hard | try. In fact tit seems
10 me that it would have been-well-
rather nice.
''Adnah''
But aunty didn't it ever seem that
way to you somet:mes?"
Aunt Matilda was shocked and silent
for a moment. then over her pale cheeks
crept a pink flush.
IN not deny" she presently confessed
had each other to rely upon for firmness
some of these young scapegraces. They
t.H.F linz iyypnc