Life — November 26, 1914 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“You KEEP YER HANDS oFF’N HIM! WHAT pD'YER THINK I PICK HIM OUT FER—FER YOU TO PEG AT?” They Meet “YYJHERE have you been?” said the girl with the moleskin boa. The girl in the monkey toque was visibly emotionated. She breathed hard before replying. “You'd never guess!” she ex- claimed, “but it is just perfectly lovely. And it's perfectly wonderful how much I know.” “Tell me quick, I'm just dying to—” “It’s our Current Events Club. My dear! You must join. Miss Spinner, you know, she gives weekly talks at the Splitdorf about everything that has happened. My dear! It’s mar- velous!| Her father lost his for- tune, but before ‘that, of course, she had traveled everywhere. Met kings. Takes up every eyent. My dear! I'm so excited about it I simply can’t talk. She reads all the papers—visits personally—personally, mind you!—all of our public men and then tells us what has happened. Knows the Presi- dent—oh, intimately—such a charming story about him this week, |... But her grasp! Well, I know everything! Ask me, me The moleskin boa blushed with envy. “T can’t wait to join,” she “Woman's conversation is so narrow now, isn’t it? And what it must oa lo) ola mean to get one’s knowledge of cur- rent events at first hand! Of course I read the papers—that is, I glance over the headlines, Really, I am actu- ally afraid to talk to you.” “My dear! You well may be. I gm actually alarmed about myself. And it’s so easy to listen, sitting there. And she has such a voice! This morning, for instance, it was about the Federal Reserve, and the splendid Clayton Bill, and, of course, the war— oh, my dear, if you could only feel Miss Spinner bring out its lights and shadows! She said this morning it was a ‘world cataclysm’. You know, it gives you such an insight into hu- man motives. She is so deep, so wonderfully penetrating! I wish you could have heard her describe the White Paper.” “'The White Paper, What can that possibly be? “Oh, of course, you don’t know. That’s the fine thing about Miss Spin- ner. She makes it all so clear, Yes, there’s the White Paper and the Gray and Blue and Yellow and—oh, all the principal colors.” “But—relieve my suspense! What are they?” 5 “Why, they caused the war.” “Well, of course, I knew it was a scrap of paper, but I didn’t know it was colored.” “Not that. You see, every color is a nation—or rather a Power—and it's all so diplomatic, you know, and frightfully interesting.” “But awfully horrible. And, of ccurse, she had to be neutral.” “My dear! That is Miss Spinner’s art. I give you my word, I never dreamed that anyone could be so neu- tral. You must come!” “T'm simply dying to.” “Thursdays—at four.” “My dear! Don't tell me that. Thursday is my bridge club. Of course, I don’t care anything about that, but one has obligations. And it is so hard to get anyone to fill in.” “T quite understand. But perhaps next week——” “Tf I possibly can I'll call you up. Au revoir. I'm just famishing to know about that Clayton Reserve Bill.” BEFORE AND BEHIND comichooks, com