Gilpin observer., 1910-11-17
TALES OF
HER PAST

Il shouldn't have blamed Fred a
a recently acquired diamond ring. If
he had broken the engagement. OF
course, l am Just the same person
I've always been, but it must have
smashed his idea of me into smither-
Gems, for at first he had queer no.
ton that l am closely related to the
angels.
Right here let me advise any Of
you who may happen to become en-.
gagged to a man who has never seen
you in your native lair. so to speak,
to keep him away from it until after
the wedding ceremony Is performed.
He's bound to be disillusioned in the
course of time. but it's better to let
him wait until the disclosure is per-
fectly inevitable.
you know" she went on, II met
Fred when l was visiting Aunt Lucy
in the east. and it wasn't my FAULT
that he would insist on coming here
for his vacation. l wanted to see
him, but goodness knows l didn't
want him to hear the tale of my
doings, evil and otherwise. from the
time l was born, and l knew he
would If he came.
"The very first evening he came to
see me father brought out all my old
photographs to show him. My photo
graphs are more than a joke-they
are family disgrace. Mother says
oh =;
proof that don't really look like
them she would throw them all away.
First there was my baby picture
that looks like compromise between
a monkey and scrambled egg. Then
there is the one with the short sleeves
and abbreviated skirt that makes me
look as If l had on pantalettes. To
add to the fearful sight there are two
little round curls pasted on the brow
like something dreadful that had hap
pened before the war. The worst of
1t was that, no matter how narrowing
they were, they were all unmistaka-
bly,. unquestionably and indubitably
me.
AFTER Fred had seen all the photo
graphs the family sat around and
harked back to the days of my I'M
regenerate youth. All the horrible old
family traditions about me were
trotted out. They told how 1 always
made straight for the coal bucket
as soon as l was nicely washed and
dressed. They said l never was
known to be clean five minutes after
the great feat Of dressing me-which
you would think required the help
of half dozen strong men from tie
way they tell it-hed been accom-.
blished. They told how / shriekod
when was bathed, how stuck beans
in my ears and cut off my hair so
that my heed be-! te Re shaved. They
related how had to be spanked evo:y
day when mother tried to teach me
to read. and thousands Of other anec-
.totes that long since should have
been consigned to oblivion.
Mother told Of the attack OF ~.
phoid fever I had at an age when no
well-regulated child would have
dreamed Of such q thing. She went
on to describe in detail all the in
fantile diseases that l used to bring
home.
Never once did the family leave
the subject of poor me during the
entire evening. Finally Fred's face
took on set smile and his eyes
grew SO CLASSY that l was afraid he
was going to have a fit.
"The next day we went over to see
dear old Aunt Lizzie. who has been a
sort Of second mother to me all my
life. and whose heart would have been
broken If she hadn't been the first
one outside Of the family to meet
Fred. Aunt Lizzie started in with my
first appearance on the scene. Dear
me. what good time she did have
telling about 1t! She said l was the
ugliest. reddest scrap of humanity she
had ever seen.
Fred has always said that what
appealed to him most strongly about
me was that / was so entirely fem
inine. He never has cared FOR ath-
letic girls. or course. never breathe 4
that was noted for being the great.
est tomboy in town. Coming home
from Aunt Lizzie's we met Tom
Meyer.
"Tom Just stuck his hands in his
pockets and grinned and said. Hello.
Mabel as though we were both about
ten years old.
when we got home and men,
toned that we had met Tom, MY
brother, of course. had to tell about
the time Tom pushed me into the
mud and got up and fought him for
1t. Brother Dicks really proud of the
way used to fight He thought Fred
would be delighted to know that !
could lick any boy OF my size when
was six years old.
"The climax came when our old
rector came to call and after telling
hau triad To climb into tho fe.,4