The Washburn leader., 1911-09-29
DEF FENSELESS
MAN
By IANE PlNcKNEY BENNETT
Copyright by American Press Asso.

| Inc n6ppleSC Ody III NY AAe Wa0
when Alan Constable proposed to me.
l had been expecting declaration for
weeks, and perhaps this added to my
delight. Alan is steady, slow going
fellow, who never does anything in q
hurry. N.
There is a girl in this town who was
once engaged to Alan. I met her at
Carrie Watson's last week. Her name
is Wentworth-Kate Wentworth-and
from all appearances she must be a
lovely girl. At any rate, Kate says she
is. 1t must have been embarrassing
for Miss Wentworth to meet me.
knowing that l was engaged to the
man who was once her lover, but she
didn't show 1t. Kate says she has got
all over that affair long ago. She said
something else / didn't like-that Kate
wouldn't marry Alan now il he were
worth ten millions.
haven't been able to sleep nights
since 1 heard that Kate Wentworth
wouldn't now marry Alan II she
could spoke to Alan about his old
flame, and he said that he didn't care
to discuss the matter. wonder why.
There certainly can't be anything
about it that he's ashamed of. Yet
what Carrie said about it troubles
me. That a girl formerly betrothed
to the man one is to marry wouldn't
marry him If he had $10,O00,OOO is
not pleasant thing for his present
hancee to hear. Suppose he has some
weak or bad spot in him that she hap
pened to find out. Pshaw! resolve
solemnly that I'll think no more about
1t.
1 went to call on Carrie the other
day and asked her what she meant
by saying that Kate Wentworth
wouldn't marry Alan now. Kate said
she didn't know. When urged her
to tell me something about it she said
she never mixed herself up in other
peoples affairs. So / let the matter
drop. Just as l was about to leave
her she said that out Of pure friend
ship for me she would tell me some
thing she thought l should know.
Then she told me that Kate had bro
ken of her engagement with Alan be-
cause he had treated her shamefully.
I asked what the shameful treatment
had consisted in. to which she replied
that there were so many things that
she didn't care to name them, and
Kate wouldn't care to have her do so.
-
My engagement with Alan is bro
ken. l just couldn't drive out Of my
head what Carrie had told me about
his treatment Of Kate Wentworth. At
last I told him about it. Instead Of
hurting back the accusation like q
man. he didn't even deny 1t. All he
said was that had nothing to do
with his previous affairs Of the heart
nor he with mine. That's all he would
say about it. Then I told him that If
such things were not cleared up be-
fore marriage they would be thorn
in our sides after marriage. and so
long as he wouldn't give me any sat
isfactiOn in the matter we had better
call our engagement of. To this he
agreed l gave him back my beauti-
full ring And oh. how did hate to
part with it! I'm very miserable.
oh, my goodness gracious! surely
shall have nervous prostration. Some.
thing awful has happened. The en-
gagement between Alan Constable-my
Alan-and Carrie Watson is out. But
this isn't all. I've been told by Grace
Euller. Carries most intimate friend
and one, Of my own, too, that Carrie
10 wearing the engaeesDent ring which
Alan gave me and which I returned to
him. To think that Carrie-the ser.
pent-should have told me all those
things about Kate Wentworth and
Alan. breaking my match with him.
then accepting him herself. I do be-
lieve she told them to me purposely to
part US 40 that she could get him. oh.
my dear stars: think shall go mad.
It is three months since heard that
Alan was engaged to Carrie Watson.
Today have received note from him
saying that his engagement with Car
rie lasted only week and he had only
brought Il about to show me how silly
I was to listen to tales about him. He
denies that he ever was engaged to
Kate Wentworth. He sent with his
note the engagement ring and asked me
to accept It as q friendly gift. saying
that he has no fault to hnd with me.
was simply caught in a trap by an
unscrupulous woman. He closed by
saying that the incident had preju-
diced him against marriage and he had
decided to stick to his club.
I thought a long while before decid-
ing to accept the ring as friendly
gift" but finally decided to do 30. I
alone was at fault. Ny brother. whom
have told all about the trouble says
that man attacked by woman is
practically defenseless and when
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