The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-04-14
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THE JOLLY GIRL.

There are those, to be sure, who affect
jollity but it is only skin-deep, SAYS a
writer in Harper's Bazaar. The iollv
girl is Jolly under adverse, circumstances
in bad weather; when she hasn't cent
TO her name; when she has the toothache;
when she has lost her situation; when she
breaks her needle; when her back hair
tumbles down in public; when she is
shopping; when her masculine neighbor
at the theatre goes out and when she
returns; when her bills are due. She
never seems to indulge IN that feminine
luxury "the blues" and it is a mistake to
suppose that she is noisy; there is jollty
OF the lady-like, aristocratic sort, as well
as of the fsh-wife order.
The girl who makes up her mind that
Joll1ty IS the proper cue, and that she
will be lively or die usually overdoes the
business she thinks that it chiefly consists
in laughing and in chattering nonsense,
that 1t is a manner of speech merely,
rather than quality of the mind which
disposes one to make the best of everv-
thing, to see the rainbow on the cloud
and the silver lining behind it, to make
the wrinkle in the rose leaf cause of
mlrth. Some believe that iollity is an
affair of embonpoint; but who has not
been disappointed in finding the stout
woman melancholy and the thin one
vivacious. the bilious person full of good
humor and the person whose digestion
never gave her a moments uneasiness
quite the reverse? The Jolly girl can not
suppress herself, and assumes sadness or
pensiveness; langushing airs do not sit
well upon her, but show at a glance that
they are borrowed plumes. One is never
dull with her. She has that infinite varl-
ETY. which all the world covets and loves
1t may be desirable thing that those
who have not this natural grace should
cultivate and encourage it in themselves
and Others since it brightens and strength
ems life, makes rough places smoother
and pleasant places pleasanter. Possibly
1t is no special virtue in the Jolly girl any
more than blue eyes in the blonde maiden
or red hair in the Titianesque Tollity
flows from her presence Just as the night
ingale's fluting bubbles from his throat
and enchants the world; just as the poet
pours forth his song Sin profuse strains
of unprecedented art" Just as the tree
blossoms the grasses spout. the stars
shine, without effort, without design, with
sincerity and constancy and spontanety.
Let her be shipwrecked, or an invalid
stranded on bed of pain yet she does
not lose or abate that peculiar trait which
makes sunshine for those about her and
sweeps the cobwebS out Of their sky
No, 1t isn't that the world has grown
hard hearted it isn't that we aren't Just
as glad today to see the ,prodigal come
back and just as lovingly anxious to well
come him home as ever was anybody in
the 18th chapter of Luke. 1t is the man.
ner in which the prodigal son of 1910
frequently returns that throws wet
blanket over the festivities of the well
come. When he comes down the road
with his hat hanging on his ear and his
hands in his pockets; when he kicks the
faithful old house-dog as he lounges in at
the gate; when he calls his father Gov
nor" and the hired man Gull" when he
wants to know, what's for dinner"
before he has been in the house fifteen
minutes; when he gives his elder brother
two fingers to shake, and advises him to
comb the hayseed out of his hair; when
he throws himself into the easiest chair in
the house perches his feet on the window
sill and announces that he'll take tub
before dinner;' when he comes back
with generally forgiving air of good
fellowship about him, and tries TO make
all the rest Of the family feel very easy
and reassured-then it is my son that
your father longs to run and meet you
while you are great way off and fall
upon your neck with plow line and welt
you into state of becoming humility and
penitence by the time you are able to
take off your hat to the bound boy, and
crawl up to the front steps to ask your
brother to shake hands with YOU Good
people are just as glad today as ever they
were, to see prodigal come home, but
it does rattle them a little to see him
come home in hack. and ask them to
pay the driver and send for his baggage
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