Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1922-09-01
Not Like Other
Girls
~ CLARA DELAFIELD

I,nr
DiyIs Middleton now-and she won't.
Not that I've ever asked her. I
,uIdn't dare to do that. No one
,,,d take liberties with Elsie You
~. she never was like other girls.
,r,.rr's n sort Of free masonry among
,,-,s lust as there is among married
,y,nen. and among men. OF course
! 1rt Elsie always ran by herself.
rh,t's what rather put the girls
aganSt her.
remember when she left college
che adopted sort OF highbrow atti-
,ud. toward life. Instead OF going
about with the young fellows. she'd
d. off to a nook with a shady book
\ moan. Off to shady nook with a
\ hook. poetry usually. And there she'd
elf wrapped In meditation fancy free,
and listening to the other girls hav-
inr good time with the boys
wonder. l wonder if Elsie really
liked it. She never wanted anything
70 DO with the men. She said love
was a sacred thing. and came once
ONLY in n lifetime. and II you didn't
4 find your love returned you just kept
ouet about it, and went on holding
Yourself In as long as you lived, un-
4 III YOU either died or pinned away.
l remember young Rowell. He was
queer. poetical sort Of chap, with a
fsr-away look in his eyes. and when
he was staying here one summer-lt
must have been FIVE years ago-he and
4 Elsie just naturally gravitated toward
each other. They'd saunter Off to-
gether into the shade Of the old apple
Il tree and sit there. with their books In
their hands. First young Rowell
would read a bit and then Elsie'd
read bit-and all the time the other
young folks were enjoying themselves
4 In a.ihealthfui, natural way In ham,
mocks, and walking or 10 pairs. and
buggy driving.
Well. what naturally happened7
Florence Keith came down for the
week. She was a fluffy little thing,
full Of spirits. and she hadn't been
here a day before she fixed young
Rowell with her basllican stare. Next
day. when Elsie wandered Off with her
hook. young Rowell didn't turn up.
4 He'd taken Florence OF to see the
4 hermit In his cave-Joe Briggs. who
works winters In the boiler factory.
And all that week Elsie was left alone.
/ and at the weekend young Rowell
saw Miss Keith on the train as far
/ as Philadelphia, and then went on his
own way.
Marry? No. nothing but a summer
II firfn Nf 1.l@
wasn't mad. She didn't eat hardly
anything the rest Of her stay here, and
She used to NOPE more than ever.
and read her love poems to herself
under the apple tree.
You know, the same crowd comes
down here pretty regular year after
year. Next year Elsie was just the
same. only a little more so. She
wouldn't have a thing to do with the
young men, and Florence had things
all her own way. Young Rowell7
Oh. he'd gone West. Yes. he married
rancher's daughter out in Utah. He
doesn't appear again in the story.
'For the lords sake, Elsie. why
don't you make UP to some Of the
young fellows?" asked her. think
/ 1t was the year after that. you're
4 good-looklng, and you can be bright
when you want to. What d'you want
i to scare 'em of for? They don't
want highbrOw. Why, the sight Of
4 those books Of yours puts the lid on
your chances"
I'll never forget how Elsie looked
at me and answered: otis better to
Il have loved and lost than never to have
4 loved at ALL"
4 hadn't thing to say to that, and
q let her keep on loving next year,
and the next. The fifth year little
Z Florence Keith met her fate. Shed
played with the boys hearts 80 long.
4 n was high time she got caught her
4 self. Young Middleton was the son
& or the banker Of POStOn-evpr hear Of
MIN? Worth few cool millions, but
Il nothing like wnat some Of those bank
crs have got. Still, he was good
catch. and the odd thing was, Flor
ehce really was crazy over him.
i And there was Elsie with her shady
q book mean her book and her shady
a nook, and-next thing that happened
was when Florence and Middleton
u had had little tiff. 1 was walking
along the creek, and who should I see
nut Middleton and Elsie, sitting side
4 ny side staring into the pool.
shall never love again." I heard
4 Eisie say in her wistful way. zone
q .ie-one love. All met 'Tls better to
nave loved and lost than never to have
4 loved at ALL"
turned and raced back. "FIOrence
ior the love Of Mike get your hooks
INTO him. I gasped. elsie Davis Is
u out for battle"
IL was too late. Well. what could
4 you expect? They were engaged by
a Sunpor time alnnnd TINT nIuht and