Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-05-25

| m0UU088 N L08 08u08 OF GGI D8xv0Ux,
told hun to take It 1t once to kr.
Wh1fmax8h
The reply was. to say the least an
noying: TO me who have loved you
from the f3xst moment l laid eyes on
you your mes7age b uninteligibla.
How can one change ones mind %
quickly In q matter Of lover Love 4
not an opinion; 1t b . mingiing Of
| souls"
Great heavensw exclaimed Miss
Dumbleton. only fifteen hours left.
and this stupid man wiz either force
me to marry one l don't wish and
whom he doesn't wish me 20 marry o.
he win send me to jail"
| Misc Dumbleton was In despair.
Could Mr.. whitmarsh have changed
his mind? We're she assured OF this.
though to marry another would b to
blight her life. she could bring herself
to do 20. But to give mp q man she
loved and whom she could not con-
vince that she loved was maddening.
She execrated the law that bad forced
her into such q position After Wildly
debating what she should do next she
cent Mr.. whitmarsh the following mes
sage: Have you not heard that there
are times when . woman says No
meaning YesT"
The reply that came back 70 this
was. Does q woman who says YeS'
mean Nor"
Miss Dumbleton stamped her foot:
she moaped: she did everything except
tear her hair. That she would have
done had It not been her browning
beauty. Then when she had recovered
bit Of calmness she determined to
make one more appeal She wrote:
The law compeis me to accept BY
tomorrow one Of q number Of offers
have received"
To this the reply came: You oil me
with grief. How happy would I be to
save you II only you loved me. But
marriage Of acknowledgements!
To marry one devotedly love merely
to convey upon her favor would pro-
fame my most sacred feelings."
When Miss Dumbleton received this
message a suspicion came to her that
Mr.. whitmarsh was not such q fool
after all. Indeed, II occurred to her
that he was playing with her. Was 1t
In revenge for the treatment be had
himself received at her hands. or did
he propose to prnish her for what she
had inflicted on his sex! At any rate.
she could 60 no further. She consid-
cred the plan Of inviting him to come
to see her with q view to determin-
ing by observation what was his real
attitude toward her. but she felt that
she had already demeaned herself to
the utmost, and she could not bring
herself to do 50 any further.
On the morning she must accept one
Of her suitors or violate the law .
basket Of beautiful cut flowers came
to her with Mr.. Whitmarsh's name at
tached For a few moments she was
overjoyed. Could it be possible that
he would relent? She waited awhile.
but received no further word from him
and abandoned herself to despair.
THE state against Dumbletonr
called the clerk Of the court.
Miss Dumbleton stepped to the front
Irene Dumbleton." said the Judge,
you are charged by the matrimonial
bureau with a violation Of the mar
riage laws in that you have refused to
marry Alfred Trimmkngham. 6rst Of
ffty-four proposers, and you made no
claim that ne Is Of bad character or
that he cannot support You. Do you
plead guilty or not guiltyr
Guilty. your honor"
How comes it." rejotned the judge.
that with 20 many suitors to choose
from you cannot md one to please
your
The lady stood silently looking at the
door.
This, your honor" said the prose
cutting attorney Of the matrimonial bu-
reau. .fs the most eagrant case we
have had. This woman ever since she
came Of matrimonial age has drawn
suitors to her. keeping them from pro
| posing to other women and refusing to
marry any one Of them herself. And
now we have all these bachelors who
claim that they have complied with
the law in proposing to her to encum-
| Der the calendar with their cases.
| trust that your honor will inflict upon
her the heaviest penalty the law al
| lows"
| "Once more. Irene Dumbleton." said
the judge, II ask you to choose one
from among the fifty-four men who
are willing to marry you. would re
mind you that the law does not permit
a woman to change her mind and be
released from the penalty after sen
tence has been imposed. though she
may do SO before she has received heI
sentence. The. extreme penalty that
l can impose upon q woman refusing
to marry Is ten Year, imprisonment
with the addition Of one year for every
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