The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-01-19
The Idiocyiof
Man

The good-looking matronly woman
who was watering the Boston fern
turned quickly. "Now. Aunt Amelia"
she exclaimed, what have done
that's wrong? You used to make ex-
actly that same disappearing noise
when was ten years old and stole
cookies. l was merely telling Rosa
mund things for her own good. She's
pretty girl If she is my own daugh-
ter and l want her to be popular and
worthy to be liked!"
"H'm!" said Aunt Amelia again.
She poked knitting needle reflective
ly through the lace at her! wrist. 81
don't know" she admitted, that you
said anything wrong. You were ad-
vising Rosie to be self-sacrificing and
thoughtful of others and to get up
early mornings so she could accom-
plish more. That's exactly what the
proper sort Of mother is expected to
say. Still, If Rosie follows your ad-
vice she'll be left at the post, all
right"
why. Aunt Amelia!" cried the ma
tronly woman, sitting down in sur.
prise at her relatives levity.
II think I've picked up a bit Of
slang since the boys down home went
to college," Aunt Amelia explained,
with an air Of pride. ''I've kept up
with the times since you were mar
ried. Anastasia! And you notice lots
Of things as you grow older.
II was Just thinking" went on
Aunt Amelia '.'about two girls down
at home and wondering why every
human man is an exception to the
rule. You give any man the sort of
girl he ought to like and he backs
away and loses his head over the
other kind and then expects you to
congratulate him on having succeeded
in making his whole life miserable.
There were the Green girls, Emma
and Bessie, and when you married and
went away they were makig mud pies.
Well, when they grew up If ever there
was selfish bit Of humanity it was
Bessie Green. She was not indolent,
she was just plain, downright lazy.
People didn't think much about her
faults, though. because her eyes had
trick Of sparkling through her
lashes at you and she was always
ready for any good time that was go.
ing
Emma was just as pretty as Bes-
sic, but she was quiet and she didn't
look at you through her eyelashes.
She had great gray eyes as open and
clear as lakes and fashion of seeing
down to the bottom of your mind
where you had tucked away the dis
agreeable part of yourself and thought
it hidden. Not that Emma was a
prig-she was just an exceptionally
lovely, sweet-minded girl.
Their mother was delicate and
Emma used to get up early and see
that breakfast was right for father
and the boys. Usually Bessie had her
breakfast sent upstairs. She said that
since Emma was up for breakfast
there really was no sense in her get
ting up, too. Emma knew how to
cook and Bessie frankly said she
loathed the kitchen and all concerned
with it and would rather live on toast
and tea than burn her face and hands
and get a headache
Emma made herself the prettiest
sort of dresses and blouses and Bessie
got hers ready-made or hired a dress
maker. She said she didn't know how
to sew and wasn't ever going to learn.
I'm short, Emma spent her time do
ing things for other people because
she was naturally so generous and
sweet she couldn't help it. She had
all the virtues of model woman be-
sides plenty of good looks, and she
was properly modest and retiring.
When they went out anywhere there
might be an older man or so who
would hunt out Emma because they
had sufficient brains to appreciate her,
but you ought to have seen the young
circle about Bessie
We'll, after Bessie had driven two
men to drink and two others had quar-
relied about her and several more had
had the blues for months she got en-
gagged to the cashier in a bank lust
because Emma liked him. Oh, no,
she didn't marry him-she coolly
threw him over when rich man came
along. She promptly married the rich
man. 81.
you ought to see her house. She
won't bother her head over it, be-
cause she says there are servants to
do that. Her husband never got
decent meal at home and nothing in
the place is ever put away where it
belongs. Her husband sews on his
own buttons and carries up her break
fast to her before he leaves in the
morning. If she sheds tears about
anything he buys her diamonds and
ifshe sulks he let's her go to Europe.
Emma? She married the bank
cashier finally and they are ordinarily
happy. You see, like all men who
marry good wives, he takes his per.