Putnam patriot., 1910-06-03

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 ,.s popuiation of Dalmaria had been
 .sns down for years. The marriage
 which formerly had been Is
 by the city government at the
 s about a hundred a week. had
 -..isnsd to ten or a dozen a month.
 7. comedy the evil the government
 .a s law that all men should bA
 .r;ea by their twenty-tirst birthday
 ~ 20 girl should refuse an offer un-
 she could prove the proposer to be
 msn of bad character or that he was
 s she 10 support her.
 rhsfe was eousternation among the
 ..married of both sexes at the pas
 of tbis law. Single men began
 s.,sfir themselves to secure-as some
 +ssm exnressed 1.-the least unde
 ..-shle sirl in the town. \ woman
 -s., had received proposition WAS
 rss week 10 examine into her pro
 = f;rf9eSs aud come to decision.
 p,.. at fhe end of the week a new pro
 s.f aiest he accepted. Consequently
 4ssl was not necessarily compelled
 95arrv the first proposer unless no .,s else entered claim. This WAS
 ..si8.red Ii very wise expedient since l. admitted If competition. Neyerthe
 .ss I resulted in considerable litiga- .op Girls aRdiag themselves unable ,o de9I7ie between several applicants r,ajd defer decision till the limit of ,ire had passed Sometimes young man Witbin I few days Of his twenty srst birthday would be put off till he hsd broken the iaw.
 That which has been called the Dunn hs,an ease has come down to us as ,snse eelehre of this city of eompul- so-x marriages. Irene Dumbleten WAS xbaf is now called fiirt. It is said ,baf she once met man at ball and n twisted his brain that within eou- ne of days be lay down to an eternal | sleep en the bottom of river. An a,ber within week after meeting her s reported to have climbed out of the sixth story window of a building and dyed 10 the sidewalk below. Irene Dumbleton could do anything she liked with man. either reduce him to dough or bake him so hard that she could Kill an elephant with him. Nev- erheless the instances mentioned were doubtless exaggerated.
 When the marriage statute became law Miss Dumbfeton saw that she must marry some man who might pro pose to her She did not intend that the wrong proposer should come with in the limits of the law. She did not mean to wait for a proposition. She made 1t her object to draw into her Det within a week after her first offer as many proposers as possible in order that she might choose between them.
 The morning after the law had gone into effect Miss Dumbleton received a basketful of proposals. Some Of the proposers were desirable. some were undesirable and some midway between the two. She wrote all the names Of men she considered available on cards and laid them in row ill order or their desirability. The next day brought an accession to the list with consequent introduction of new nanes and a encouragement or the or der of value The second and subse- qnent days brought still larger acces- sions until at the last day of grace three-quarters of the eligible bachelors of her class had proposed to her.
 One would think that with so many to choose from Miss Dumbleton might find one-al the law allowed-to fill the position of husband. The truth is that the one she really desired. one whom she had previously declined. had Tot sent in his name as candidate for reconsideration.
 When Miss Dumbleton discovered that the proposal of Egbert Whitmarsh had not been sent in she was seized with sudden apprehension. If seven days should pass without his having spoken again she would be obliged to choose bei iween humiliating herself be fore the man she wanted or going to Jail.
 Miss Dumbleton lay awake all night thrashing her pillow like one in fever over this alternative. At one moment she vowed that she would marry one of the men who had pro posed 10 her. thus showing MT. w hlt- marsh that he was not wanted. Al the next she decided to break the law and 20 to jail. Finally it occurred to Der that MT Whitmarsh was not sup posed 10 know of her change of heart. She concluded to make virtue of necessity and inform him of that change.
 Ihat dsy-the last but one of those left her to comply with the law-she spent three hours writing letters to My Dear Mir. Whitmarsh." My Dear Egbert." My Dear Friend. Hon bred Sir" but she neither came to decision as 10 which of these modes Of address she would use. nor did any or the letters she wrote please her Finally she threw them all In the went out. bought few torgetmenots and. putting one of them Into an envelope with her card. sent fl 10 Mir Whitmarsh.
 fhe reply came back 10 her. You Indicate that you would wish me no' 10 forget you This is heaping ou me sorrows crown. If you realized my su6erings on your account you woun wish me to forget you as soon as pos- sible.-
 Must l tell him that l have changed ny mind with regard to htm2 Yes. No. What shall 1 do. 1 have but uu tomorrow at noon--