The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-11-08
the MITTEN CODE.
Brief Rules For the Guidance of
Unfavored Suitors.
WHAT TO DO WHEN REJECTED

Ready Reply, Beeaups Staring In Re.
proaehfui Silence Gives the Lady q
Chance to Change Her Mind.
Incredible as 1t may seem. proposals
Of marriage are sometimes refused.
usually because the lady thinks she
knows better.
To comport ones self fittingly when
rejected Is no easy matter. The young
beginner Is advised TO give some
thought to his next move In the event
of his proposal being declined. To
stand staring in reproachful silence
displays a lack of savior faire and
incidentally gives the lady chance to
change her mind.
The really, nice young man when re-
tected inclines to gloom. The average
young man takes up an attitude OF
sprightlioss. To display relief when
rejected may not seem in the best
taste, but If a girl has refused you
that Is sufficient evidence that she has
no taste at all.
really nice young man. He hints at a
broken heart-a picturesque but i'm
probable happening. He asks IL there
Is no hope. Always he speaks in ''low
tone" There is the authority of the
best fiction for this. Apparently he
never shouts his query from the door
steps as he is departing. He men,
tons suicide in a noncommital way
and eventually takes his leave with
one last fond, lingering look at her,"
One can only hope he does not spoil
the dramatic value Of his exit by trip
ping over the doormat.
So much for the really nice young
man. The average young man has a
variety of methods or k1ping his end
up in the event of being rejected. He
imparts an air of levity to the proceed
ings which must be distinctly Irritating
when one is expecting time honored
references to fractured hearts and
blighted hopes.
Copying the average young man, you
may therefore when rejected laugh
heartily and then remark:
"Well, but, joking apart, isn't the
weather beautiful"
There is something about this formu
la which prevents the waste of any
emotion except annoyance.
Another gambit in taking refusals Is
to smile with satisfaction and say the
simple words:
II winp'
While the damsel is puzzling ou
what the words may mean you can eff
' feet your escape.
, In the event Of an emphatic refusa
you can always ask smilingly:
"How did you guess was jollying3
An effective way to prevent lad!
j. promising to be sister to you is t.
+ get there first by promising to be sol
$ to her, and you can follow it up b.
S saying:
B.. ooh, well. must be getting along
I've got another call to make"
There is a subtlety about this remar
which enables you to take your leav
e quite easily.
h Always try. however, to be ready t
e say something at once. If after he
r mo" you think you have been silen
i. overlong, assume puzzled look an
say:
LET me see-what were we talkln
about?"
Should the girl give reasons for n
g fusing you remark:
y Eyes, that's just what Jane Jone
s said last month when I proposed I
her."
1t may happen that the lady answer
your proposal thus:
mo, Harold, | can never be your
!. ] am affianced to another"
d The best thing to do to avoid e.
/. posture of your disappointment is to e,
claim:
"Yes. l knew that when aske
you"
Another formula when rejected lie
in taking a list of names from you
II pocket, consulting il and remarking:
Y You're Miss Susan Smith, aren
your"
Then you put tick against th
# name. sigh relievedly and take you
G. leave.
~ If you have come primed to sa
''Thank you. Harriet; you have mad
me the happiest. man in all the world
in answer to her acceptance there
Is no reason why you shouldn't say It
n reply to her refusal.
o In the event of receiving a refus,
n by letter pretend that you did not g
=. It. This has a disquieting effect. {
If you want to get even wait till 81
questions you about 1t and then sa
y with every symptom Of glad relief:
IS "Oh. that letter was from you. WI
sr II? I couldn't quite make out the ST
" nature. and thought 1t was fro
t. some one else on similar matter
T. A sportive remark is permissib
sometimes when one is refused wit
- lofty contempt: