Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1907-12-28

from going back and proposing to
her."
How lucky you did" commented
the widow witheringly.
But | wouldn't have" explained
the bachelor ruefully, IF the gorl had
restrained herself
Nevertheless" repeated the widow
ut was lucky-for the girl
(which girl?' asked the bachelor.
THE girl | broke off with or the girl
that came afterward?"
Il suppose" mused the widow ig-
noring the leyity and leaning over to
arrange a bunch of violets at her belt,
that is why it is so difficult for a
man to keep promise or a vow
even a marriage VOW"
oh, don't know" The bachelor
leaned back and regarded the Widows
coronet braid through the smoke of
his cigar. 1T isn't the marriage VOWS
that are so difficult to keep It's the
| fool VOWS man makes before mar
riage and the fool promises he makes
afterward that he stumbles over and
| falls down on. The marriage VOWS
are so big and vague that you can get
| all around them without actually
breaking them, but if they should in
terpo!ate concrete questions into the
service such as, Do you, William,
promise not to growl at the coffee
"Or. DO you, Mary, promise never
to put daub of powder on your nose
again." broke in the widow,
Nor to look twice at your pretty
stenographer," continued the bache-
| lor
Nor to lie about your age, or your
foot or your waist measure"
Nor to iuggle with the truth when
ever YOU stay out after half-past ten"
Nor to listen to things that-that
anybody except your husband may
say to you in the conservatory-oh,
see how it feels!" finished the wild
ow with sympathetic little shudder
And yet" reflected the bachelor
"a woman is always exacting vows
and promises from the man she loves
always putting up bars-for him to
Jump over; when il she would only
leave him alone he would be perfectly
contented to stay within bounds and
Craze in bis own pasture. A man
hates being pinned down; but WON
an doesn't want anything around that
she cant pin down, from her belt and
her theories to her hat and her nus
band"
We'll" protested the widow study
ing the toe of her slipper, 1T is a sat
isfaction to know you've got your hus
band fastened on straight by his
promises and held in place by his
own vows and that he loves you
enough to"
Usually" interrupted the bachelor
"a man loves you in inverse ratio tc
his protestatiens. The lover who
promises all things without reserve
is too often like the fellow who
doesn't question the hotel bill nor ash
the price of the wine, because he
doesn't intend to pay it anyway. The
fellow who is prodigal with his vows
and promises and poetry is generally
the one to whom such things NEAR
nothing and, being of no value, car
be flung about generously to every
girl he meets. The firm with the big
gest front Office is likely to be the
one with the smallest deposit in the
safe. The man who sweas off loud
est on New Years is usually the one
they have to carry home the morning
after. And the chap who promises {
girl life of roses Is the one who viii
let her pick all the thorns off for her
self"
Perhaps sighed the widow, chew
ing the stem of violet thoughtfully
'the best way to cure a man of /;
taste for anything, after all, is to lie
him have too much of it instead o
making him swear off. If you wan
him to hate the smell OF pipe inss
on his smoking all the time. If you
want him to sign the temperance