The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-05-20
he DAILY
SHORT STORY
Too Victorian.
BY JANE OSBORN.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)

Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)
ida Lester. II you want TO be abso.
lutely Victorian Just so ahead and
nope around the way you are doing
now" Seventeen.year-old Ruth Les.
ter lda's pretty golden-haired sister
looked up from her algebra and glanc-
ed whismsically over her study spec.
tacles. THANK fortune. I've never been
In love-Oh, there's no use saying you
aren't. Nowadays girls come right out
and say so when they are. But sup.
pose IL you insist on being Victorian
YOU Just won't be frank about It. 1t was
saying that II l ever did fall In love
and then lost out the way you have
we'll. you needn't look so offended, you
know you have-why, wouldn't nope
around about 1t. Id use my brains.
same as man would.
~ suppose you would go on this way
all your life and never lift your little
finger to mend matters. You are about
as progressive In your methods as that
poor Miss Faversham in Dickens that
wore her wedding dress all her life
Just because she ran against o snag
In her first love affair. Use your
brains. girl. and cut out this early.de.
cline business. Your pose now is to
say that you aren't in love with Mat
thew. It makes you perfectly furious
Just to have me mention It, and then
you go around looking as lovesick as
Romeo In the first act. Now the real.
ly up.to.date. advanced thing to do Is
to say right out that you are crazy
about him and then look as II you
weren't. And, In the meantime. think
UP a plot That's what man would
do"
Ida heaved the sigh OF the lovelorn.
well. smartly, since you know 1t
all, she said, going over to her sister
and closing the algebra she was study.
Ing. what sort OF plot would you per-
petrate. Would you go down to Mat
thew's apartment through the dumb
waiter shaft and steal the young hero
away in the Silly night?" Ill.,.
Now you're talking!" said Ruth.
springing to her feet. "That might be
good plot II the hero wasn't six feet
one and the heroine only five feet
three. I've thought out something ev.
en- craftier than that. The facts in the
case arc thus" Here Ruth began tab
ulating chem on page of her algebra
NOTEBOOK. Hero Is really very fond OF
heroine IL not actually In love with
her. Hero naturally ttmid and not
much Of lady's man. Hero lives in
same apartment house as heroine,
and Just before heroine gets him to
tn Q proposing point she plays her
cards wrong and tries to make the
hero jealous--one Of the most usual
mistakes OF the game when played
by the young and inexperienced fe-
male"
Ruth" There was deep reproof
In lda's voice. What would mother
say II she heard you?"
Mother Isn't going to hear, you
may be Jolly certain, and besides, am
only giving you the sound advice
which II mother wasn't another Vic.
torian she'd be giving you herself
only perhaps not jlst this way. AS
said. heroine gets the hero to think
that she is Indifferent and deliber-
ately arranges to have other suitors
hanging around at the time he calls.
Result: Hero. instead OF getting jeal.
Gus. Just gets a case OF cold pedal ex-
tremities. Deadlock follows. Hero
won't take first step-too scared. He.
roine won't either-too Victorian.
What you want to do Is to do some
thing that will make tho hero think
that the heroine does care without &C.
tually calling him up over the phone
and saying, Matthew. I love you!'
which you know you do. That
would be q bold. brave stroke, but 1t
might be little too crude for the
present.day male brought up To Vic.
torlan standards.
Here Is where the craft comes IN.
You remember that little baby ring
with the blue.enamel forget.me.nots
that the hero gave the heroine in a
moment Of Sentimental fervor at pic
mic last summer. Now don't look sur.
prised. OF course know he gave It
to you. Haven't seen you wear 1t
around your neck on piece Of white
wash ribbon every night since? Do
YOU think I keep my eyes In my pa
jana pockets? Now II the hero
thought the heroine had lost that ring
and thought she cared lot for 1t he'd
think that she cared lot for him
without actually having to be told SO.
He'd also have the satisfaction OF
thinking himself something OF a Sher.
lock Holmes In making the deduction.
Do you follow the proposition?
"ot course you haven't lost the ring,
but Just the. same you can put an ad.
vertisement In all the papers like
this: 7l
"tLosT--A h.h. ring with sinai,