The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-08-10
Two New Years
Resolutions
By A. N. JONES
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.
By A. N. JONES

Jack Carmody couldn't meet girl
without making love to her, to the ter
ror of his father and mother, who were
always in dread that he would marry
| some one far beneath his social status.
Jack woke up one New Years morn
ing, and the first words he said were
| these:
II solemnly resolve on this first day
of the new year not to pay the slight
est attention to any girl for the whole
twelve months. But" here comes a
saving clause, IF do pay any atten-
| ton to any girl it will be only such
person as my mother shall approve"
How pleasant one feels upon max
ing a resolution! 1t seems as If all
past weaknesses are dead and buried
and q new pure life has opened up be-
| fore the resolver. Jack had especial
reasons to feel thus, for the night be-
fore he had seen the old year out with
a party none Of whom would have
| been admitted to his paternal domi-
cile. One Of them, girl with whom
! he had been training for months, Moll
Dugan, had been lying in wait for
him and during the festivities had Ill
duced another girl to suggest we'd
ding with Aloll as the bride and Jack
Carmody as the groom. Having I'M
bibed more than was good for him. he
consented, but was saved by a friend,
who nut him into a closet and locked
the door.
It was the serious contemplation
of this escape that led Jack, waking
up at II o'clock on New Years morn
ing. to make the resolve mentioned.
To one who makes a resolution with
a saving clause, the moment tempta-
ton comes the clause looms up splen-
didly. Jack found it dull associating
only with men, so he looked about him
for some nice girl of his own class
with whom he might pass an occa-
sional idle hour. Miss Gwendolin
Kingsbury was very ladylike young
woman to whom Jacks mother had
introduced him, trusting that the two
might make a match. It made very
little difference to Jack who was the
er's joy-Quite devoted to Miss Kings
bury. But just as Mrs. Carmody was
congratulating herself that her son
was about to close the deal with her
fayorite her husband took it into his
head to buy ranch. Thereupon Jack
announced his determination to go
west and become ranchman.
Mrs. Carmody was in despair. and
Miss Kingsbury was both miffed and
disappointed. But Jack comforted his
mother by reminding her Of his reso-
luton not to devote himself to any
girl Of whom she would not approve
and to return before the end of the
year and FIX it up" with Gwendolin.
"You see, mother" he said, "where
man thinks Of marrying girl he
should be sure she is going to be con-
slant. If Gwen Is fancy free, except
for me, when 1 come back I'll lead
her to the altar and you can give US
a bang-up' wedding"
Jack had no>sooner got settled as
ranchman than, cantering along
road, he met a little greaser girl can
tering in an opposite direction. She
was about sixteen years old and pref
ty. When she came to be twenty-five
she would probably be bag, but
beauty is not what it will be, but what
it is. Her costume was tawdry, but
calculated to catch an eye that had
begun already to miss seeing feminine
apparel. Jack doffed his hat ard
Joined the greaser girl.
Unfortunately or fortunately, as the
case may be, the greaser girl had
greaser lover Nevertheless month by
month Jack became more and more
enraptured with her, and the greaser
lover became more and more danger
Gus so far as Jack was concerned.
The girl was really true to the man Of
her own class, but her parents did not
propose that she should throw away
the chance of lifetime and insisted
that she should throw over the man
Of her choice for gentleman and
fortune.
In November Jack wrote letter of
twelve pages to his mother, stating
that he was about to marry the daugh-
ter Of Spanish grandee and explain
ing in detail why the match was
very advantageous one for him. The
missive threw his mother into fever,
but she wisely sd nothing about the
matter to Miss kingsbury.
The next letter Mrs. CarmOdy re-
ceived from her son stated that the
match with the Spanish girl was of
and he would be at home by the end
Of the year.
Something had interviewed. 1t was
this: One morning the greaser lover
met Jack riding with the daughter
Of the Spanish grandee." Love and
jealousy long pent up burst their
bounds, and the greaser opened fire
on Jack. Jack drew and wounded the
greaser, whereupon the girl pulled
pistol from her holster and opened fire
on Jack. In the scrimnlage all three
were wounded. though none of them
dangerously. Since the girl preferred
the greaser Jack was disenthralled.
a. 70