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THE COURIER.
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looked up hopefully, turned to the
frontispiece once more.
If he would would but absorb the
conversation, there might still be a
chance. Yet, if the Boy found himself
too well entertained, he might stay for
ever. But the Man was, by this time,
in such a state of netvous irritability
as to bo incapable of conversation.
His very boota expressed his desire to
summarily eject the Boy. How I wish
he had!
"Our friend is suffering already from
home sickneee," said that wretched su
perfluity. I laughed the tears into mine eyes,
and pricked mjselt badly.
"Have you seen that sketch?" said the
Man at length, handing me the paper.
Something on the page, written in pen
cil interested me considerably.
"What is that?" asked the Boy con
descendingly. "Harper's," said the Man.
"Have they changed, their cover
then?" he inquired; "it will get mixed
with Pearson's."
"It is Pearson's," said the Man; "I
made a mistake. What do you think of
it?" he turned to me.''
"It seems a bit startling?" said the
Boy.
"I looked up and my eyes met the
Man's.
"Have you a pencil?-" 1 asked cour
ageously. ''I should like to mark this."
There was one in his hand. I wrote a
tiny note in the margin; only one word,
in fact.
"I always annotate books," approved
the Boy.
The Man took tho magazine, and
looked at the page; he looked happier
than he bad done since his entrance.
"Thank-you,"ho said, so fervently that
he aroused the Boy's curiosity.
"May I look?" he asked. "Unless it
k poetry."
"It is poetry," said the Mao; "The
nicest verse I have ever Been."
He looked regretfully at the clock and
at the Boy and me. "I am afraid I
must "
"Must you?" said the Boy, cheerfully;
'that's the beat of living on the spot, we
need never hurry away.' -
"Have you oiled your door lock?'
asked the Man. "It wss very stiff when
I last tried it!"
I put down my work. "I must see
what I can do," 1 said; I felt happy
enough to laugh. It the Boy would
only stay on the sofa he might come
again and Btay ten hours.
He jumped up. "Ill help him to
lever the door open," he said. "It wants
stronger hands than yours; I can post
the letter besides."
"It k on the hall table," I told' him.
"O. that' all right, I can get it when I
go out, he said. "Good bye."
He politely waited till his senior had
had hk inninga.
"Till I return, then," said the Man.
"I thought you didn't know if you
were returning," said the Boy.
"I have made up my mind,' he re
plied. "Good-bye."
They were in the hall. The door
opened again, and there was the Man.
' I had to," he said, breathlessly, after
the first two seconds. "Confound that
fellow. Don't mind, dear; they are to
last me a long time."
"Mind!"
"Look here, you'll lose that train,"
said the Boy, opening the door.
The Man had managed to get a good
deal out of four, seconds, but all trie
same he swore, and it k odd how It re-r
lkved my feelings.
When their steps sounded down the
path, I went to the window and raised
it; as they passed, the Man tried to look
around the Boy, who was between ut,
but dodged him unsuccessfully. I
watched them grow smaller and smaller
with the lamps until they were out of
Bight, then I tore out the page of a
magazine, and, carrying it up stairs,
locked it into the trinket box, where it
k still.
The Boy was a nice boy, and I could
not find it possible to hate him, even
though be spoiled the evening of my
life.
I think of it, now that he is stout and
fatherly, and in my heart is amusement,
exasperation and something far more
bitter.'
For the man never came back.
Rock-fever killed him. From Black
and White.
"SMART," BUT ILL-BRED.
BAD MASKERS AS EXHIBITED BY THE
TYPICAL AMERICAN GIRL OP TODAT.
Mrs. Amelia Gere Mason discourses
in the August Century of "The Deca
dence of Manners." Some of her keen
est shafts are levelled at the girl of the
period.
It seems a trifle unjust to the clever
"and well-bred American girl to dwell
upon a familiar type so much in evi
dence as to overshadow all the others
and pass everywhere as representative,
but it k a question of tendencies. This
typical girl of the day puts on mannish
airs with mannkh clothed, spices her
talk with slang, not always of the choic
est, tosses her pretty head in proud de
fiance as she puts down her parents,
her elders, and her superiors indeed
she admits no superiors, though this
Bcion of equality does admit inferiors
and snubs them without mercy pro
nounces a final opinion of which she
does not even know the alphabet, shows
neither respect for white haira nor con
sideration for favors which she claims
as a right, and calls all this "swell," or
"smart," and a proper expression of her
fashionable, or unfashionable independ
ence. - -
The same spirit runs through the en
tire sockl gamut. There is nothing
more contagious than bad .manners; it
k so easy for the selfish instincts to
come uppermost when the pressure of a
law, written or unwritten, is removed.
The insolence of servants is sufficiently
emphasized. Even the shop girk waits
upon you with half disgusted impa
tience, often impertinence, without any
dkguke, and replies to your civil words
with a lofty stare, as much as to Bay,
''Since you are not polite to me, you
cannot be of much consequence."
The causes are not far to seek. A
potent one is the rush and hurry of life
in which everybody is intent upon doing
the most in the least possible time.
There k no leisure for small courtesies.
It is a heterogeneous scramble for the
loaves and fishes, in which the survival
of the fittest resolves' into a survival of
the strongest. It is something akin to
the brute force' that wins the prize,
whether it be a sent in the car or a Beat
in congress. Indeed, we claim, as a
part of- our national glory, the trait so
well expressed by the work -'push." It
makes little difference what one pushes
so long as it stands in the way. Men in
the garb of a gentleman do not scruple
to thrust aside delicate women who bap
pen to be moving before them ia the
procession. Well dressed women run
over one another. It is the same spirit
applied to the minor morals as that
which prompts the Wall street magnate
to walk over his weaker rival, and the
laboring man who has organized. in the
name of freedom and human brother
hood to crush out of existence, if he can,
hk poorer neighbors who have not the
spirit of instinctive, though some times
unconscious, selfishness, whether it be
crudely clear or hidden under some
high-sounding name. Nor is the fact
without significance that women, who
are natural arbiters of. manners as well
as conservators of morals, have been
driven by necessity into the bustling
crowd. It k an alternative between
struggling for a foothold in the world or
sinking; and success, nine times out of
ten, is the triumph of aggreesion. This
in itself is fatal to the self-effacement
which ia so strong an element of good
breeding, and tends toward a radical
change in the habit and traditions of
women, which must' react more or less
upon society.
WHAT" "SOCIETY WOMAN' MEANS.
By "society woman" I do not mean
the type that first presents itself, the
brilliant compound of style, daring and
Paris gowns, whose life begins and ends
with entertaining and being entertained,
who puts the fashion of a hand-shake,
the porcelain and the cut glass of the
dinner table, and the cost of an equip
age above the simple graces and fine
breeding which betray the choice life of
generations, or the inborn taste and no
bility that ask nothing from inheritance.
I mean something that compares with it
as the rare old lace compares with the
machine-made imitation, as the rich
and mellow tones of the cathedral win
dow, which the light of centuries haB
tempered and softened, compare with
the crude and garnished coloring of its
modern copy. There are society women
upon whom the mantle of the old-time
lady has fallen, through nature or herit
age, whose social' gifts are the sum of
many gifts, the crown of many womanly
virtues. One findr them everywhere,
women who cherish the fine amenities,
who are" gracious," intelligent, tactful,
kind and active in all good works, who
understand the art of elegant living, as
well as the intrinsic value of things; and
like to open their hospitable homes for
'the pleasure of their homes. It k'such
as these who represent the finest flower
of our womanhood and help to preserve
the traditione of gentle manners, which
are in the way of being trampled out in
the mad march of- something we call
progress. It is for these to ostracize
Tulgarity, to. put the delicate barriers
which have -been -permitted to be let
down between the pleasant comradeship
of men and women, and the loud note of
familiarity to temper the sordid spirit
of commercialism with the refinement
of that higher class of intellect which
sees things not only aa they are, but as
they ought to be.
Nations aa well as individuals have a
perfect right to do good unto others,
but they make a great mistake when
they attempt to beat it into them.
THe Saturday Evening Post.
A man who holds his head high may
stumble, but he never crawls. The
Saturday Evening Post.
- Do you get your Courier regularly?
Please compare address, If incorrect,
please send right address 'to Courier
office. Do thk this week.
The Rock Island playing cards are
the - slickest you ever handled. One
pack will be sent by mail on receipt of
15 cents in stamps. A money order or
draft for 50 cents or same in stamps will
secure 4 packs. They will be sent by
express, charges prepaid. Address,
John Sebastian, G. P. A.,
Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific R'y,
- - Chicago.
The COURIER
And any One Dollar
Woman's dub Magazine
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1H 1-fc 11-!- 1L! .1.
OU1CS. UU HUB IU1B ween.
To dubs of ten taking The Courier the
annual subscription price is seventy five
cents (75 cents). Regular subscription price
one dollar per year
OUT
of the lVinooln. Hard
ware ?' entire stock of. .
AT
GUARANTEED
HAIsF THE
REGULAR
PRICES.
The wise and prudent buyer will
take advantage of this wondtrful
opportunity, as it will be by far the
most startling bargain sale of Bi
cycles and Sundries ever announced
in America. It is a well know fact
that the Lincoln Hardware Com
' pany were among the largest west
ern wholesalers in the bicycle busi
ness, and carried a complete supply,
which was second only to our mam
moth stock, and owing to the rapidly
increasing business in other lines,
they decided to close out their en
tire bicycle busines to us at a great
sacrifice. We will positively not
mix one item of thk stock with our
own, but will distribute the entire
Lincoln Hardware Company's stock
among the Lincoln people, guar
anteeing to cut their regular prices
on-every- itetn-atieast
50 PER CEflT
and in many cases a great deal more.
AH good things are bound to be
imitated, but
1
DISSUADED
quarters of the entire West,
ape
W
Exterior Views
s&C&m&rify
and in thk instance we will positive
ly guarantee the lowest prices, sell
ing for less than any other dealer
can buy the same goods for in
wholesale lots.
UNGOLN &B.
1136 0 8t. Ptione 18B.
The Bicycle and Phonograph Head-
9
Cycle Photographs J
Athletic Photographs
Photographs of Babies
Photographs of Groups
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THE PHOTOGRAPHER
129 South Eleventh Street.
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