The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1911-07-14
"what do you meanr

same school as her. He was knock
kneed. slabsided. freckled, and his
| teeth was black as Goals. 1t made me
mad to see him a-carryin' her books
| for her. she a-lookin' sideways at him.
And the meanest part OF 1t was her
takin' particular pains TO look pleas
ant at him just when met 'em, to
show me she didn't care nothin' about
me and hadn't all along. If that
wasn't consarnedness | don't know
what consarnedness is"
There wasn't anything consumed
about you, was thereY I suggested.
Not bit was as innocent as a
dove; got roped in Just to be made a
| guy of. was stupid lunkhead
then. Now l know better'n to trust
one of the vipers- | tell you. know
all about 'em now; can't any on 'em
| fool me-"
Didn't you fall into any other
trapsT
"Yes. onct," he replied haltingly.
Tell me about that one.''
at was the same gal, Mary Owen
She went away to boardln' school, and
when she came back she was kind a
cityded But she was purity. tell
! you she was purity as q new painted
mowin' machine. When she met me
she talked about when we was boy
and gal and our fishin' together, and
all that. not sayin' anything about that
slabsided boy she was leadin' on as
she did me. She asked me to 60 with
her to see the place where she got the
tshhook into her finger. Like fool,
fell into the trap again. l went with
her to the bank of the creek, and we
stood lookin' down on the water. There
had been a turrable lot of rain, and
the creek was high. Mary was laugh
In and gigglin' as though she was
mighty pleased about somep'n. She
walked right up to the edge of the
bank. The current had washed 1t
away underneath. the piece she was
standin' on broke off. and down she
went with splash into the water.
"Of course jumped In. too; got her
arm around my neck, swan with her
to place below where the bank
sloped and put her. drippin', on the
grass. What did she do but just what
she'd done when she rammed the fish
hook into her hand so she could make
me cut 1t out. She pretended to faint"
what did you dof'
"Oh, l made a fool of myself just rs
l done before. kissed her."
He looked very much ashamed at
having been obliged to confess that
this imp of darkness had entrapped
him a second time.
What happened thenw asked
What happened thenf Why, talk
ed no end OF soft stuff to her. and she
shed some crockodile tears and all that,
and when we parted we was engaged
TO be married But when l got home
and got to thInkin' how many times
I'd been fooled and was gittin' deeper
and deeper into the pit she was diggin'
for me list sot down and swore
Then | went to see her again and told
her that what I'd been talkin' to her
was all rot
''She jist looked at me kind Gurus
for awhile, and then she up and con-
fessed she'd been foolin' me all along
The farmer paused. evidently having
finished his story, the conclusion of
which he seemed to consider bore him
out in all his assumptions as TO the
wickedness OF Mary Owen.
How long ago did this last parting
take placer | asked
"oh. that was only three months
ago"
MARY hasn't married." said. "and
what's more. she won't marry unless
she marries you. Please excuse me for
telling you the truth; but, though I've
seen many big fools. | never before
saw 30 big one as you"
why. stranger. what do you mean?''
II mean that from the first the girl
fancied you. and since you wouldn't
show any interest In her she practiced
feminine plan to make you do so.
Then you dropped her, expecting her
| TO show how she took the slight as
you thought she should show It. She
wouldn't have been real girl IL she
had Since then she has been giving
you chances to stop making fool OF
| yourself. which you have been too stu
! pid to take advantage of. It's quite
possible that you've made such blum
der of the whole thing that you'll never
i be able to straighten II out with her.
You have probably committed the I'M
pardonable"-
| BY this time he was looking at me
wildly out of his eyes. his color all
gone from his face. apparently con-
science stricken at what he had done.
| At the mention of the objectionable
sin he collapsed.
go right off and humble yourself
before her for the jackanapes you are.
aud. ten to one, she will forgive you"
do you really mean itf"
Eyes, l do"
| He left me alone In the house and
went away to learn his fate. went
to bed and to sleep. At midnight he
woke me up with a whoop and shout
ed into my ear:
ITS all right. I've fixed 1t up with
her. We're goin' to be married right
or"
'Ill give you a tin colander for a
wedding present" | replied. That's
more than you deserve"
! made q visit to the couple after
they were married. never saw such
{ subservient husband In all my life.
Not that his wife dominated him, at
least not Intentionally His action dur.
ing his long courtship seemed TO have
taken away all his self confidence and
left him like a child He never re-
covered 1t. remaining always a self
constituted slave