Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 January 1910 — What Addie Did [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

What Addie Did

Things really had been very dull in the town that winter, so when Addie Creamer was jilted by Alexander Bing the affair was like a revivifying draft te the jaded and wilting souls among the gossips. In a big city it is different. There when a young man or a young woman llnda a broken engagement on his or her hands he or she simply looks about and picks it another person of the opposite sex to cover up the situation; but when one lives in a place like Three Pines that is not so easy. Alexander, who was a tall young man with romantic eyes, was head •lark in the drug store. He simply walked off and married a girl in the next town whom he had met but twice. Then he sent back to Three Pines for his trunk. He was going into business with the girl’s father. “He knows better than to come hack here!” was the verdict of the exalted sewing circle. ‘He knows what n reception he’d get after treating Addle so! And Addie with six tablecloths and napkins to match, all initialed! Poor Addie!”

Addis was small and ash blonde, tbs sort that looks precisely the same at 40 M at 20. There was nothing Startling in her composition. Given a asrtaln: situation, one was perfectly sure what Addle would say or do. While this produces a soothing atmos-

phere, It Is not exactly the sort to lure on an admirer forever. Alexander bad fallen victim to a girl who always treated things In the opposite way from what he expected, so he had hastened to marry her as a relief from the monotony of Addle. "Addle nevgr looked at another man except him,” the sewing circle protested. "That's all a girl gets for being faithful and devoted. Men always lose their heads over the giddy, no-account kind. And Addle takes it so hard.” The sewing circle added the last sentence with a delightful relish. Certainly Addle was affording the gossips the full measure of enjoyment to be expected from the situation. The last time a girl had been Jilted in Three Pines, twenty-live years before, she had merely tossed her head higher and utterly refused to mention the affair. This conduct caused her to be disliked. Addie, however, wept herself red-eyed and pathetic and yearned for sympathy. The six tablecloths and the attendant napkins grew mussy and soiled from frequent exhibitions and handlings, for somehow she - extracted a mournful pleasure from showing them to her friends. Jt was as though Alexander's, wickedness thereby was made more absolute. Alexander having been snatched from the Immediate prospect, she was rudderless, aimless, so she let the town distract her. Above all. the sewing circle said, poor Addle must be distracted. She must be given an Interest In life. •o every one bent herself with raptore to the task. • Tales of atria whoHEaT pined away and died or lost their minds because of faithless lovers, were whispered —about wa rnthgly. Addle was so helptom and little that everybody said nobody could tell what might happen to fear unless her friends rallied' They got up tea parties and card

clubs and even a literature class, to all of which Addie allowed them to drag her, solemn-eyed and frequently sighing. She always sighed immediately if by any chance she so far forgot herself as to cheer up and smile at anything, for she had the vague feeling that she had transgressed conventionality under the circumstances if she found any pleasure in existence. She was the owner of a blasted life and outraged affections and usually she could remember it. The best of everything was given to Addle: She always got white meat without asking for it. The town felt very kindly toward her, because there was always something to talk about now. If one ran into a neighbor's to borrow a cup of butter one was apt to be told: "I saw Addie last night. She’s Just as thin as ever, poor girl! I don’t believe she'll ever get over it!” Then with the butter in one’s hand one could shake one's head sadly and say, ‘ No, she won’t. Once with Addle is forever. Alexander little knew what he was throwing away when he did what he did! I'm going to take her over some jell!”

In two years Addie was as much of a landmark as the old church tower or the stone bridge. She was always explained to strangers as a lovely girl, who had had an unfortunate love as-

fair, and whose heart was irremediably broken. She lent quite a tone to the town as she moved down Main street looking pathetic. People glowed upon her and Blghed sympathetically, for she was the romance of Three Pines personified. It was almost as good as going to a lovely sad matinee and crying one's eyes out. This being so, it can readily be seen what grounds for indignation Three Pines had when Addle, going away on a visit, captured an admirer and married him! Everybody groped about for a definite cause for complaint and, not finding any, toojc It out on the bride. She had disappointed everybody by d&rlug to cheer up and be like other human beings. - “Send Addie Creamer a wedding present?" cried the sewing circle as one woman. "Never! Not after her acting as she has: These girls who are ofT with one and on with another are too frivolous for us! We thought Addie was a nice girl, but evidently ehe didn't care much for Alexander after all. No doubt that's what made him do as he did. Poor Alexander!” —Chicago Dally News.

WEPT HERSELF RED-EYED.