Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-10-10
100 MUCH BEST MAN.
: BACHELOR WHO OBLIGATED AT
FORTY WEDDINGS.

Them Is the Key to II Romance-A
Warning to All Young Men.
Lieutenant Oscar Prince is rapidly
reaching the age when his friends Will
stop asking him the question, why
don { you get nIarried:' and substitute
for it, Glow did il happen, old man,
that you never married." Lieutenant
Prince is as acceptable as the average
man, and he has 10 autimatrimouial
views He Is, however, victim of wed
dinGs, and therein lies the explanation
Of his failure to marry One OF the fin
est collections of scarfpins i'll this city
may be found III his bachelor apart
ments, but no wife.
My collection of scarfpinS was be-
gun about ten years ago, he said, land
each enc represents Il scar more or less
serious. They have simply made a pin
cushion Of my heart. My case, L am
sure, is an unusual one, and l am will
ing to discuss II, that II may serve as Il
warning to young men. Let me start
with the assertion that | believe III the
noble institution of marriage, and it
was probably my advocacy OF 1t whilo
/ was at West Point that suggested TO
a classmate-Brown- write me TO
act as his best man when he got mar
ried. Let me see. The date on that
pearl pin is 1887, isn't it: Yes, that
was Browns little token. Brown had
fine wedding, and rs ! had been sta
toned west Ut Cod fOTSaken post since
leaving the Point ii was my first OPP
portunity to get at short range with
eastern girls. There are no girls like
them, my boy, and don't make any mis-
take about that.
Brown was married III Newport,
and we did have good time. Let me
look at that pin again. Yes. Ethel was
her name. YUu see / have it tagged Oh
the pin. Ethel was mighty fine girl
tall, good swing and high stopper.
We hit it of together in fire shape.
Who was Ethel? Why, IL this case, she
was the maid of honor. We had a de-
lightful week at Newport, and when L
went back to my post l had Ethel's per-
mission To write to her. l heard the
other day that her Oldest hopeful was
the star hoy in a kindergarten.
Lieutenant Prince pulled his pipe
hard for two minutes.
Ethel was, all things considered,
about as nice as any of them. We might
have been very happy together, but for
Jones wedding. l think it was Jones.
Just hand me that little clover leaf pin,
will you? Yes it was Jones. Here Is
the date, 1855, and tagged to the pin is
Maud's name. You don't understand.
No, Of course not. You haven't acted
as best man or usher i'll 20 weddings. l
thought lot about Ethel while ON the
railroad train that took me to Boston,
where Jones married, and there l met
Maud. There Is something very demoral-
iZing about the associations of a we'd
ding party if u chap is at all suscepti-
BILE. The girls all rejoice with the bride,
and they are all i'll their best frocks.
Somehow You begin to speculate about
yourself, You know, and wonder how
you would appear as the bridegroom
with enc of the bridesmaids as bride.
Maud was different from Ethel, more
vivaciuuS, and then she was short and
Ethel was tall. On the night of tho
wedding | asked Maud if l might writn
to her. Dear Maud | wonder what has
become Of her. | sent back all of her
letters and her photograph just short
time after Adams got married. That Is
the pin IL the cushion-the one with
the small diamond III tine center. Adams
WIS married three months after Jones,
and i was an usher. Those three months
were happy ones and l shall always re-
member Maud. l had been sent east just
before Adams was married, and he
wanted me to be usher because, as he
put 1t, had been in the game before.
Mary was her name at Adams wedding.
That doesn't describe her at all No
namo COuld. She was just rs attractive !
rs Ethel and Maud. but different We !
discussed very serious matters. did |
Mary and l, ana l knew that she was q |
girl who would make a sensible, think |
ing Iuan happy for life.
1t was a discussion of telepathv that |
made mo forget Maud, that is discus |
sion and "A subsequent attempt to expert |
mcut Mary didn't ask for her letters |
back after Rogers wedding. l told sal |
IC-she was one of the bridesmaids, and |
:. vcry jolly southern girl-all about |
Mary, and she said she didu' { mind. l |
came very near proposing to Sally, but |
by this time l had become professional
- an usher and best man, and since Sal |
" there have been by actual count 80 /
other girls, any one of whom might |
have made me happy. l felt after meet
ing each one of them that If | could |
only keep away from weddings my hap
piness might be assured. l could marry
the last girl-that l., OF course, if she
would have me, and they were all very
feel that was lucky.
couldn' dodge the weddings, though.
''All my friends are married now,
and have assisted in each case. 1t got |
80 that while l was at work / would !
begin 10 whistle a we'd
ling march. Walking IL time 10 il made
ne slow on parade. l couldn't keep up
With my company. 1 have, L All glad TO
,ay, done my duty by my friends, but IL
las ruined me seutimentally. When l
ook at that collection OF scarfpins, each
NE labeled with the name Of a girl who
vas the only one III the world for me,
laXrn = the nerve TO propose. I am