Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-10-20
ADVICE ON MATRlMONY

The young Columbia Heights matron was
telling it on herself at a cronies' luncheon.
Il met her at the boarding house where
Jack and l lived before We started house
keeping" she said. "She was such quiet.
demure creature, and after a couple of
months 1 really grew to like her wonder
fully. She was travelling demonstration for
Chicago firm, and she was at the various
department stores here in Washington for
more than four months. She had lovely
way about her. and was so conpanionable,
although quiet. and she never spoke very
| much of herself. She was about twenty
| five l should say. She seemed to be ex-
| tremely diffident with respect to the men.
| She would lower her eyes and look rather
| i'll at ease in their presence. When she saw
| that they were admiring her hair and COM
piexion-her complexion and hair were won
| derfui-she would actually shift uneasily in
| her seat and look so terribly embarrassed
| that often felt sorry for her My husband
| often said to me that he thought the girl
must have been brought up in a convent. l
| used to often rally her over her apparent
! uneasneSs in the society of such of Jack $
| friends as called upon us when she was
| visiting me in our rooms, and | would Tell
| her at such times-not that l believed it
| that in my opinion she was only putting
on her manner when the men were around
| linen she would blush and answer not a
"oiu, anu VI course L became more con-
| WINGED than ever that the girl was naturally
shy and retiring. and that she had never
in her life known what it was to have even
| one beau.
she came up to my room one evening when
Jack was out and bashfully held out Ter
| left hand for my inspection. 1 of course
| didn't understand what she meant by the
| movement until l saw the solitaire on her
| engagement finger flashing under the gas
hght. or course 1 Rugged her then and
told her how glad 1 was, pinching ner at
| the same time for having been SO extracr-
| dinarily secretive about it.
But L didn't really know until today.
| When this came. and letter she said.
| holding out her hand with the ring. I hal
| refused him quite often, you know and
she blushed all colors
| OF course 1 asked her who him was
and she told me all about him. He WIS
| rising young board of trade man in Chicago
| and she had known him ever since she was
little girl she said. She described him
| with many bushes and acted in general as
| If she didn't feel delighted over her en-
| saSement to rising young Chicago board
| of trade man.
II could shake you I said to her Why
Gont you enthuse and talk about your
| dresses and the rest of your trousseau as
all girls do when anything so momentous
as an engagement happens to them?
But 1t is all so strange" she replied
ana then laughed at her again and began
| my usual flow of wisdom with reference 20
| the married state. l tremendously enjoy
| telling engaged girls about the p;tf5Iis
they We got to steer clear of, and all that sort
| OF thing. 1t enables me- you know to sort
OF even up with all of the gloomy, pessi-
| mistic old things who ladled out tons of
| advice of the same sort to ms when the an
| houhcement OF my engagement to Jack was
| given out.
We'll. 1 told her how ruinous it would he
| for her after she was married to let her
| husband see her hair in curl papers and
| how she should always look neat and sweet
| and pretty when he =
| against the temptation to look s,atternly
after the honeymoon wore off. Then | told
her how frightfully vain men are and how
| fattery is the breath of their nostrils Ad-
vised her, if she wished to have her hus-
| band worship her and to give her the very
incest things to wear purcha sable for money
TO make MN think that she thought him
about the most extraordinary male creature
| that ever consented to live on top of the
| earth-to tell him how strong she thought
| he was and how liberal in his views and so
good-looking, too, and so utterly, completely
different from other men,
| " The poor things l told her, can stand
| the most phenomenal doses of fiattery from
! their wives without ever even wincing or
suspecting that they are being worked
into a comp,aisant frame of mind. and it is
part of sensible wife's business to make
her husband believe that in her opinion he
ought to be Header of men" or a great
| executive chief or a towering figure in
the worlds affairs" or some such funny
thing as that. if he only had half the or
portunties that the successful men have
! had.
Then, of course. 1 warned her against
| the danger of telling him too much that
didn't exactly concern him. Said that it
wasn't necessary for some huSha nds es-
| pecially those of a jealous disposition TO
know too much concerning their wives af-
! fairs, and endeavored to impress upon her
| the value of silence in these matters Told
| her. for instance, that if her husband forbade
| her from taking luncheon with a woman
| that he didn't like for some foolish reason
or other. and she just wanted to take lunch
| con with that woman. why, to go right
| ahead and take luncheon with her but to
say nothing about it to him; that it wasn't
at all necessary for him to know
| " These wives who run to their husbands
and tell them every little blessed thing. 1
said, are always getting themselves in
| trouble. and lots of thanks they get, be-
| sides. for their candor!
| ooh, my. yes; just did more than exude
wisdom to that quiet, demure girl. And she
| just listened to as if l were whole
! symphony orchestra, and Redeemed so girl
| ishiy over my remarks. and obviously seem
ed to think that so many of the things that
| I said were so queer! Oh there's not a
| up to her room after she left and stuff
ed the bedding into her face and just
shrieked. and she must Shrek every time
| she thinks of all that wisdom I impaired
unto her right down to the present moment
| Il know she mustr
And the young Columbia Heights matron
| fell suddenly silent and thoughtful.
| why" two or three of her cronies at the
| luncheon asked her at once. should she
have thought it all so funny?'
| ''Oh nothing" replied the young Column
bia Heights matron. "only found out after
| she left Washington to go to Chicago to get
married that she had only been married
| and divorced twice in Chicago, that's all,
| and that when she was married the first
| time she was only seventeen years of ager'
Fatal Apple blossoms
| From the New York Sun.