The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-08-19
A MANS ESTIMATE.


mond. "that Ned Hargraves has be
come engaged while have been
away"
yes" said one OF the ladies', "and
he is throwing himself away"
"In the opinion of the men or the
women?"
Il never speak in praise or con
demnation OF another replied the
lady, except for myself alone"
And, without referring to you at
all, | must say that never take a
woman's opinion of another woman"
why so?" asked several ladies at
once.
"A woman is Influenced in her likes
and dislikes. She has no sense OF
real justice"
"And would you rely on a mans
opinion OF a woman"
"A man of mature age"
Yourself, for instance?"
~ am forty; too old to be caught by
sentiment. too young to be fooled as
an old man."
This bit of conversation took place
when the ladies at dinners were ac-
customed to leave the men to smoke
with their coffee, and the hostess led
them to the drawing room. where
they spent an hour conversing on the
topic of the relative value of mans
and woman's opinion of women.
IL was about a week later that Aus
IIat tn q tat lon
from one of the party informally for a
game OF whist. He met there a
widow, Mrs Cheever, somewhere be-
tween twenty-five and twenty-five
years old. She was modest and shy,
almost TO tlmidity. Nevertheless
there was something about her that
grew upon Hammond. 1t was not her
conversation, for she was not a
talker. II might have been her eyes,
set in a small oval shaped head. At
any rate. there was something away
down in those eyes to excite mans
fancy and set him wondering.
Hammond asked permission to call
and became a frequent visitor at her
home, suite of apartments in which
she lived with a servant. He took
| her out occasionally either to drive
or to places of amusement, and ii was
not long before his friends began TO
speculate upon a probable engage
! ment. One morning he was surprised
to receive a note from the lady who
! introduced him TO Mrs. Cheever in
which she said substantially that, hav.
ing heard of his attentions, she wish
ed to disclaim any intention to recon-
| mend the lady she had introduced as
suitable person for him to marry.
| II he made match with Mrs.
Cheever he must do so on his own re-
sponsibilty.
Later on he received a second note
| from another of the ladies he had met
at the dinner party. This note was a
| positive warning against Mrs. Chee-
| YER Hammond kept the note a secret
for two days, then showed 1t to the
woman II condemned. She looked
troubled. but told a very straight
story which agreed especially with
Hammond's opinions in matters be-
| tween women.
Hammond at last found the young
widow so necessary to him that he
| asked her to be his wife. She de-
cllned at first, giving as her reason
| that she would bring him nothing;
| indeed. could not make a respectable
| show at the wedding. Hammond
| told her that he could support her
| comfortably and gave her a check for
| $1,000 to spend on trosseau. This,
after many proteS tatiOns, she finally
consented 10 accept, and the matter
| was settled The final closing of the
| arrangements occurred at IL Vclock
one night. Hammond left his flncee
happy man.
The next evening at 8 he wenS to
the lady's apartments to consult with
her as to her preference in the matter
of an engagement ring. There was
no reply to his ring at the door. Con.
vinced that there was no one within,
he applied for information at the Of
flee OF the ianltor.
"The lady moved out this morning
sir"
Hammond caught at the banister
for support.
Did she leave any message for
for me?"
She left no message for any one
sir. While her things were going into
the van she went round TO the bank
came back and paid three months
rent and went away"
That was the last of Mrs. CheeveI
for Hammond.
He did not inquire at his bank II
his $1,000 check had been presented
but he found 1t was charged against
him when his account was balanced
He kept away from his friends as
much as possible and when rallied
with queries as to when he was goinG
TO be married turned away with a
sickly expression, replying that he
might possibly marry a marble statue
or a wooden Indian squaw with q
bundle of cigars in her hand, but
never a woman.
One morning at breakfast he open
ed a note from the lady who had in