The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1909-05-20

Indue MS petition Win numlllJy. lie
extolled his own kindness to the I'm.
grateful Tikkia and denounced Ro-
moldo as a fiend and liar. He tried
hard to weep but didn't prove a sue
cess at realistic acting.
o tempora, o mores! Such are the
broadening effects of few months Of
life among our little brown brothers."
Conceive the old-maid school-teacher
in America assuming the position OF
Judge in a matrimonial, or rather ex.
tra-matrimonial scandal of this sort!
However, promised justice to the
sn{ffling Pedro and told him to call for
it the next morning at ten Like me
he supposed 1t would take the form
Of Tikkia. But when reached home
and summoned the culprits their sang
froid was inimitable. Romoldo stood
upon high moral ground. Tikkia might
or she might not be married; 1t was
nothing to him and he did not know.
She was an orphan of his acquaintance
to whom he wished to do kindness.
Tikkia promptly drew her skirt up
over her unexposed knee and displayed
filthy sore which she said was caused
by Pedro's playful habits of dragging
her about on stony ground by the hair.
Moreover she stood on her legal rights.
She was not matrimonial en- Iglesia,
and she had right to leave Pedro
whenever she chose!
Pedro came next morning at ten,
but he did not get justice. On the
contrary, Justice, as embodied in Tx.
kia, stood at the head of the stairs
and shrieked: mo quiero!" Il don't
want you) as often as we, Pedro and l,
turned our imploring eyes upon her.
Things went on in this way for
some time and my perplexities afforded
much amusement to my friends. l felt
sure that 'Romoldo and Tikkia were ly.
ing about the purely Platonic state OF
their affections and at one time re-
| solved to discharge them both. An.
other young American teacher gave
me some sound advice. He said: What
on earth are these peoples morals to
you? Romoldo is good servant. He
speaks Spanish and if you let him go
for someone who speaks only Visa
yam, your labor of training will be four
times as great" Then | came in with
the old-fashioned American fear that
people might think the worse of me
for keeping such pair in my employ
and the gentleman simply collapsed.
Remember that / am very much of an
old-maid school-ma am. He sat and
laughed in my face until had to laugh
| too. I'VE are not in America now"
was his parting remark, and was des-
tined to learn what variety of moral
weaknesses thai sentence was created
| to excuse.
The troublesome affair of Tikkia and
Romoldo went on until ! began to fear
lest Pedro, in one Of the attacks of
wild jealousy to which these people
are subject, should take vengeance and
bolo in his own hands and raid us
in the night. Fortunately, at the criti,
cal moment Tikkia and Romoldo fell
out She kicked his guitar off the
back porch and he complained that she
neglected her work Then she asked
leave to return to her own town for
a visit and the request was joyfully
acceded to. Pedro also obtained va
cation. Their town was around the
corner, one block away, and there they
retired. They greeted me pleasantly
whenever | passed by, and Tikkia
seemed in no wise embarrassed by
memories Of either her mendacity or
inconsistency.
baUa dacnrihod tbic IN NJ
life in the Philippines in more detail
than good taste probably warrants, 1t
is because it illustrates so perfectly
the attitude of at least so per cent. OF
the Filipino people toward marriage
The common people seldom marry, ex
cept, as we would term it, by the com
mon law. When they do marry in
church it is quite as much for the
eclat of the function as for conscien
tious reasons. Marriage in the church
costs only eight pesos, flour dollars
United States currency though it is
cheaper on Sundays, and to achieve
it Is quite proof of financial pros
perity OF course among the educated
classes our own views on marriage
pertain, though | have heard of in
stances where the common law form
was still observed even among them
The Spanish law refuses divorce ex
cept for infidelity, though 1t recognizes
the right of separation. Divorce is ex
ceedingly unusual among Filipinos, bu
among the lower people the right o.
the common-law wife is generally OBJ
served and women are accustomed t.
cbopoa ghair Ulifa M rtnarqU at will