Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1910-01-13


But about MyraY'
"Oh. yes. Well. Myra came, and so
did all the professors. | had no idea
those men were 50 interested in wom-
ems clubs. What do you suppose that
woman had done in place of anything
on earth about colonial Virginia?"
Something wild, of course"
Something wild? | like your
phrase. 1t was bloodcurdling! She
had diagrams! | thought | should sink
when she drew those diagrams out.
You know. she's a fanatic ON some new
ism about reforming the world by set
ting down and holding your breath and
thinking about something else"
mot bad idea" with carefully pre-
served gravity. And you put it so lu-
cidly, Anne. | think l could do that
myself"
"Oh. well. you know! The kind of
the first readers when you and | were
babies at school. You sit down and
shut your teeth and say. 1-am-in-it.
he-is-in-it,' or something like that"
mo, dear. It's assertions that you
mean. You build them into your char
acter by saying them over that way"
Laura" in n tragic tone, you're al
most as bad as she is! | don't wanI TO
build things into my character. You
talk as If it was summer cottage.
Oh, dear me. haven't a shred of char
acter left since Myra disgraced me as
she did, She got to talking about
things that weren't quite nice, it seem
ed to me- for a mixed audience, and |
was in agony because | had Lily por-
toned off with the professor there in
the back room.
Il could see the other men trying not
to laugh, and | felt so apologetic-so
abject! If 1 could have crawlcd out
under the seats, dusting those mems
boots as | went, | should have been
glad. Then came the diagrams, A
large pink thing meant your natural
affections. Laura. do you love people
in that shade of pink? Because, if you
do, pray never love me any.
"a blue wedge was for your-for
your-inteliectual capacity, think. ]
hadn't any by the time that came
Some green streaks. she told us, stood
| for patience but mine was at an end.
| pulled the back of her frock and
whispered to her, Where is your pa
Fer on colonial Virginia families? :?
Laura. that aggravating creature look
| ed across her shoulder at me as serene
, ly as she will look at her son-in-law
when she runs right over him, and she
said, loud enough for everybody to
| hear: oh, this is a much more i'm
portant matter, my dear. This con
Germs the source and origin of man
and his cosmic destiny Laura, what
is cosmic destiny? Do you suppose
you and | each have one"
Her hostess got breath finally from
| the smothered laughter that had greet
ed the diagrams. Never mind your
cosmic destiny, honey" she counseled
"Tell me what the professor and Lily
did"
| 81 was in agony for them. Some OF
Myra's remarks were very plain aud
| hardly the things for young girls tC
hear. let alone girls accompanied by
| gentlemen. But there! l might have
spared myself worry. 1t seems l am
only plain fool"
"Oh, no." demonstrated her friend
slyly. Nobody would ever say that
/ OF you"
I'D rather be a plain fool than Il
pretty one" retorted the other. And
that's what Myra Morton and her like
! call me. | know. 1t seems that Myra
is a brilliant woman and that had
only made trouble and retarded things
! instead OF helping"
How was that
/ "Oh, the professor is deeply interest
ed in the particular ism that Myra is
| exploiting just now. | suppose he loves
/ Lily in that shade Of pink and does his
thinking in blue wedges and has
streaks of green patience. Anyhow. he
said that Myra's diagrams We're very
/ Illuminating. He was mp in the crowd
/ congratulating her on that diSgraceful
performance. | saw that both he and
Lily looked nightly pleased about
| something. and after the thing was
over he told me confidentially-l have
been encouraging his confidential talks,
you know, during the past year-that
the hearing OF that paper had removed
the last shadow Of n barrier between
himself and Myra's daughter"
Barrier"
"Oh, yes; l have been trying to tell
him about Myra and prepare him for
what he might expect, and suppose
my opinion OF her crankism and Pro-
fessor Hcnry's don't precisely agree"
"They wouldn't naturally" slipped
from Laura's lips. and then was re-
| gretted.
Don't yod tell me that mean well!'
turning SHARPLY. I'll bear anything
but that - doubt its what the pro-
| fessor ard lily ""d Nyra Reed Morton
are sayE "f Il" this minute. They
are sitting an. holding their breaths
and thinh.u~ about something else and
saying that am well meaning crea-
ture who lacks sense"
"Well." commented her friend crisp
ly, 'if they can do all that Mt one time
I believe I'll Investigate the system
| myself"
Too Risky.
In boring for oil when the drill
reaches the depth where it allows gas
to escape every precaution is taken
against igniting it lest there should be
n destructive axnloSion This nanaS