Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-07-05
Easy Matrimony
IOriginal. I

"Talk about common sense in mar
riage," said the cynic, cts all bosh!
There Is no common sense in it except
for marriage of convenience. If you
want to get married go to the country
In summer and become frivolous. The
lower you let yourself down into frivol-
ity the more chance of your mating.
'Take my friend Paul Robbins, for
Instance. Paul was worked out one
spring and on the 1st Of July he took
off his brown linen coat, the sleeves of
which he had used for a penwiper,
hung it up in the closet and took the
evening train for the seashore. If
eyer a man left care behind Robbins
did. 1t seemed to him that he would
explode with delight. Though he ar
rived at his destination at II o'clock
on a dark night, he couldn't wait till
morning for a bath. When he had
bathed he sat up with the girls on the
piazza till the last one went in at 2
a. H.. Then he smoked with the boys
till 8.
Robbins found all kinds Of boating
and bathing and plenty of jolly boys
and girls to enjoy them with. He
Joined a special party full of odd
Nick not one Of whom had q serious
thought in his or her head. There We're
six fellows, six girls and six firtations.
Nobody considered the firtations seri-
GUS; they We're just for two weeks-the
simplest kind. Robbins and a seventh
girl arrived the same day, both joining
the party of frivolers.
"'Well.' said Paul. 4 D I'll
have to catch on to the Spicer girl.
She's the only one not spoken for
"I suppose said Miss Spicer, that
since you girls have ~monopolized all
the best e I shall have to submit to
the attentions of this Paul Robbins
"And so they went at it like children
let out of school starting a new game.
The more reckless they were the more
fun they could have. Miss Spicer had
no conscience in the matter-not only
because she knew 1t was understood to
be a pure and simple fight with padded
gloves, but because she was a born
firt anyway. But there has been many
the end Of which the gloves have been
torn off and the affair finished with a
flow Of claret. 1t was not long before
each decided to pink the other. Miss
Spicer, who had had such desire from
the start, was first to take or pretend
to take a serious view of what was
going on. She affected moods. At
times she would be overgay and at
times apparently plunged in deep dis
tress. When her cavalier would ask
what was the matter she would look at
him r~eproachfully and say nothing.
cat last Miss Spicer determined to
call forth some evidence Of an interest
N the part of Mr.. Robbins. Walking
with him on the beach in the hot sun
one day, she suddenly staggered, then
collapsed. She played it we'll enough,
but Robbins only laughed at her.
"'You're cruel and unsympathetic,'
she exclaimed, the real blood mounting
to her cheeks, and, leaving him, she
marched straight to the hotel, not to
appear again till evening.
robbins determined to go Miss .Spi-
GER 'one better in the game Of hearts,
paying her off for her attempt in her
own coin. He thought of a number of
schemes, but none of them suited him
till he struck one which for its IN
blushing cruelty beat all the rest. He
should have been horsewhipped for
even thinking Of it. But they say 'alls
fair in love and war
Cup the beach a short distance vas
an inlet where there was good still
water bathing. Robbins, who was at
home in all waters, persuaded Miss
Spicer to let him teach her how to
swim. He inveigled her to the inlet
and after giving her a lesson in shall
low water started himself. for q bit OF
refreshment, where it was deep. Sud
denly he gave a yell and went down.
"Fifteen minutes later he was tished
out by a boy in a boat With 4 boat
hook from the bottom and rowed
ashore. With II eye half open. he
saw Miss Spicer faint dead away
This time it was a sure enough faint.
and Robbins knew that it was. Re
fore the boat touched the shore lie gave
a lively spring (for a drowned man
ran to her. bent over her. took her in
his arms. acting all the while as if he
thought he had killed her. Then %l"
opened her eyes. and the game WAS u
with both of EN-. She was in a heaven
of delight to see him safe. and he was
relieved to discover that she had re
gained consciousness.
"Well, Paul a V the boy a quarter
for saving his life and walked to the
hotel hand and hand with Miss Snicc".
both evidently careless as to who SAW
the %spooning. For the rest Of the time
they remained at the seaShore nobody
could go into a dark corner in the no
tel or a concealed spot on the dunes
without stumbling on them. In Il twin
king sparring had beer changed into
naudlin love.
Robbins when he left home had no
more idea Of returning engaged than
Of returning a multimillionaire, but he
was, all the same. and two other cou-
Piles Of the party went home in the
same lamentable condition.