Norwich bulletin., 1916-01-07
BEING GOOD TO cLARICE


Il can't understand that girl at alilr
unused the very young man, palms.
rafingly striking match.
Girls certainly are queer!" moodi-
" agreed the very young man In the
other lounging chair.
rive noticed that. tool" declared
the frst very young man., odd that
we both should have stumbled on the
same discovery But Clarice is more
occult than the usual grill You'd
think, having gone away to school
and all that sort of thing. that shed
have more -er-aplonb; that she'd
know how to be tactful and--well,
clever!
aWhy, she has the most abrupt way
OF saying thingsl For instance. /
asked her to go to the theatre with
me. OF course going to the tneater
isn't much after you've been AROUND
as you and have. but naturally you'd
think that Clarice. just an inexperi-
enced young girl. would have been
overjoyed / didn't expect her to
Jump up and down and clap her hands
but her eyes didn't even sparkle. She
yawned-yawned in my face. as
though some one was asking her to
the theatre every three minutesl
Thanks, Bobby she said. | detest
being called Bobby. as though I were
In lSnickerbockers. But / have en-
gagements every night this week.
Nov, I'd like to know how a girl
of IL can be so popular that she has
every evening filled up. Why, Clarice
isn't at all the sort of girl you'd ex-
pect to be popular. She isn't raw
ing beauty, though she's pretty
enough. and she never takes pains TO
be, well-er-rea1 nice to chap!
Thanks, Bobby. as though l had Of
fered her a chocolate cream and she
had already eaten more than she
wanted! And she has such way OF
saving things that Of course the fell
| lows can't be crazy about her. A man
doesn't like to be treated casually! !
suppose If I treated Clarice as real
| ~ ought I'd drop her. But feel
sorry for the girls crudities. I've
made UP my mind I'd overlook her
untactfulness I am really interested
! in seeing what C1arice will do next.
And hope I can gradually show her
what mistake she is making! Why
| she won't have any friends at all IL
she isn't careful You'd have thought,
now, that she might have smiled re-
gretfulIy and said that she was horri-
bly, sorry and wouldn't I ask her again
and wasn't 1t a tiresome shame that
| she had made all those dates Some
thing nice like that! 1t would serve
! her right If I never went near her
| again!"
Sure it would" agreed the other
very young man. "Why don't you
| Just stay away?''
His friend frowned and coughed
well he said judicially, that
wouldn't be just right! A man of my
experience can do lot toward mold
| ing Clarice!
| Nov, for instance, it certainly
isn't any pleasure for me to call on
her and have her keep me waiting
half an hour before she comes down
| stairs and then have her play heavy
/ things on the piano all evening and
| not talk to me, when she knows that
! like the light, catchy ragtime music
And besides / might be saying a lot
| OF things that would do her good tc
heari It will be borne in on her al
last what mistake is is makingi"
"You are wonderful" breathed his
/ friend aomiringfy. ITO be so self
sacrificing for a mere schoolgirl"
IT have nothing except her owl
good in mind" said the first very
young man. "Of course it would
take a more accomplished woman O.
the world really to interest mel Blu
there are possibilities in Clarice, ever
If have stood a plot from that girl
'fWhy, one night when 1 was calling
that huge. awkward Andy Pelton: wh'
4 plays polo or football or something
dropped in. And Clarice strolled of
with him to the sun parlor and stay
ed the whole evening. leaving me t.
talk with her elderly aunt. who tt
say the least was tiresome. I jus
waited like a gentleman till 11.3O
when they reappeared. Clarice act
ually seemed amazed to find me still
there. pressed her hand as though
nothing had happened and. said Coco
night, Clarice!- I shall soon be IL
again sooni"