The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-07
THE ADVERTISERS
 DAILY SHORT STORY

l which they displayed in season and out. At tEss period of her life Mary Horton Parks tor that was now her full nams) took up with great vehemence the cru- l sade against second marriages. In her | own great happiness she could not un- | derstand how 1t could be that any maIi or woman once mated to another of the I opposite sex could ever permit such a sacrilege as to give themselves to an- l other. If there were any so weak as to
 desire 1t they most certainly should be restrained by law.
 Tt is simply form of immortality" she asserted.
 She became greatly interested in her husbands line of work and particularly vehement in opposition to war. So earn. est did she become in this cause that she was invited from afar and wide. to
 lecture upon 1t and the vehement man taking of human life and the fine scorrf in which she held up to ridicule the be- spangled martirets wfo gave their api- | tiles and energies 10 the prOfcssIon of destroying lives which were brought into being with so much suffering and trayiil | and reared with sa much self-sacriiee. l invariably elicitcd the most enthusiastic I cheers. Her favorite fling at military | spot of color his country placed upon his breast to lure him to his death ana ! 1t never failed to bring down the house | With all her triumphs the life of Mary | Horton Parks was not to be without it's vicissttudes.. Her husband fell ill and not being of robust physique. did not re | cover rapidly. He dragged along for years with his ups and downs. but was | able to do little work. After q time tue | college with which he was affiliated was l compelled to supply his chair with one l able to fill it. The wife faced the situa tior bravely and her work on the lecture plat form and as a writer for the magazines. l which formerly had been largely in the ! nature of a Advertisement became a | means of bread-winning She worked hard and gave her husband the best of medical attention. It was a hard life. i however. and she found that she was in very different attitude with publishers
 and bureaus when she needed money sore | ly than in the days when she yJrked | for glory and sentiment. But she stuck
 to 1t heroieally. She lost something of l her rotndness of form and a ,eN gray | hairs mingled with the bacS. Bus she
 retained the sparki, in her eye and her
 abundant vivacity of spirit For seven 1 long years she carried her burden n-
 more and more helpless all the time. Her ambitions. her aspirations. her comn1art rtd-
 | ing position were all sacrificed without ! regret as she labored faithfully to sup-
 port her helpless husband and care for | him.
 1 At last he died and she wept honest 1 tears of bitter grief over his coffin. Then ! she took long rest in the country and | ptunEeu lnto ner WOrh agaln Miti He" l zest.
 | While executing a commissi 1n for a magazine year or so later she epent 1 some months in Cuba then under United | States military control.
 The sequel to this tale is best told iii l an extract to a letter from Mary Horton Parks to an old and intimate friend. l And now. dear. l have a surprise for | you. I am to be married next month to l Col. Alfred Bertrand of the regular ser l vice. Now don't criticise or grow sar- | castle. 1 know 1t is mt quite n accord l with some of my theories. but he is so | big and strong and brave and handsome and l am so tired of fighting with the | world. l am going to sit down under his | wing and be taken care of. His | rt cord IS superb He has been n antioned | a dozen times for bravery on the battle | field and won his spurs when lieutenant ! by defending a position with only ten | men when assaulted bv several hundred | olood-thirsty slvagss. When the engage were left dead or wounded on the battie- . field and every one of the sol i,rs had been hit, The Colonel bears the scars of | dozen wounds received on the battle l field. He really is d hcro--and as nand- | some as Apollo in his splendid uniform. | He is to be detailed for service 1t Wash- | ingtoh next winter and 1 wan you to l come and see me there You snow his rank will give us a fine social position
 and | know ! can make your visit en- | joyable:''
 | Her friend read the letter all over agair and then eXclaimed:
 Well. If that duh't beat all time Mary Horton marry agan--and soldier! | | guess the love of blue coats .;nd brlss buttons and brave men is TO, cpItinad to ] school girls