The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-04-21
The Eueni,,g Story


Grandma's Pet.
| (By Bryant C. Rogers-)
When q person In referred to rs q
hoyden. one knows that q girl is
meant. No boy il ever referred to
by that epithet.
Instantly there arises to the minds
eye a picture OF q girl from IL to 16
years old. She has q gypsy face and
figure. She has very short dresses and
very long legs. She has long hair
and freckled and impudent.
She remembers Z box ON the ear
and an admonition about thirty Soc
onds.
| A hoydon romps. she climbs trees.
she jumps fences. she throws stones
and clubs, she breaks windows. she
attacks the grccer's or the butcher
boy at the back door and fights with
hands and feet and -teeth-any old
way to lick him and send him away
| Inundated.
The hoyden hides behind the rose
bush and '.plunlks'' a stone at . tin
peddler driving past.
She makes up faces and filters at
the young man out with his girl.
| She crouches outdoors under q par
beau comes, and makes ghostly wall
ings.
She turns handsprinss in summer
and slides down hill on q board or
any old thing in winter.
She hates the boys. and whether
they offer her peanuts or their love
there il hair pulling unless they can
outrun her.
No wonder they never call a boy 4
hoyden. He isn't In 1t with girl
not by a hundred miles.
June Eaton was a hoyden. She be-
gan to be a h0yden at about q year
old and she kept 1t up until she was
almost 10. She ought to have been In
long dresses at 16. but she wasn't. She
ought to have discarded the braid
down her back, but she wouldn't. She
shouldn't have sat on the gate post
but she would do It.
| When . youth called on her and
was shown into the parlor she
and embarrassed him half to death.
and ended by SEEKING his ankles and
upending him on the floor. but that
was the way she saw things.
| When she was II they got long
skirt on her and her hair was done up
high, but they had to stand over her
with a club to accomplish it. That
year she also attended two or three
parties and didn't turn a handspring
nor pick a hight. BY threats and
brides they got her to church and she
only Uttered aloud once during the
sermon.
Then grandma came and heard all
about tho hoyden. Indeed. she was
made to feel as well as to hear. On
the first night OF her arrival a ghost
visited her bedside and scared her into
a cold fit. On the next morning. when
she was too nervous to leave her bed
l and there was talk of handouts and
shackles and a bread and water diet
for the hoyden. the good old lady said:
You jest let that girl alone! / don't
| blame her one mite!'
but she's most 49, was replied.
Il don't care II she's most a hum
dred! That girl has got some life
about her. and I don't want to see 1t
| crushed OUT
But, grandma. II you only knew
| what a hoyden she ts!''
Makes no difference. She sees one
| side Of life and you another. 1t would
/ be a good thing II you and Stephen
| would do little grinnfng yourselves.
| Your faces would make any one think
there was q funeral in the house"
Let me tell you what she did yes
| ter day. I had the minister call to
talk with her. but she ran away. When
| of stove wood she had piled on the
| steps to trip him up!
..rm glad of it! He had no business
| to be here!"
| hollyhocks and jumped out at old Mrs.
Brayton. who was coming to borrow =
cup Of sugar. and frightened her most
i to DEATH"
but old Mrs. Brayton ought to
have had sugar in the house instead
Of borrowing OF the neighbors. I wish
June would scare away the dozen that
come borrowing of me-"
I'VE want to send her to some
boarding school. but she won't 60"
| "Hatn't she been to school here
"Oh. yes, but you know they don't
| teach the higher branches nor de-