Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1911-09-28
DEFENSELESS
MAN
By ZANE. PINCKNEY BENNETT
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

The happiest day in my life was
when Alan Constable proposed to me.
| had been expecting a declaration for
weeks and perhaps this added to my
delight. Alan is a steady, slow going
fellow, who never does anything In a
hurry.
i
There is girl in this town who was
once engaged to Alan. / met her at
Carrie Watson's last week. Her name
is Wentworth-Kate NEWFOUNDLAND
from all appearances she must be
lovely girl. At any rate, Kate says she
is 1t must have been embarrassing
! for Miss Wentworth to meet me,
knowing that ! was engaged to the
man who was once her lover, but she
didn't show It. 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 If he were
worth ten millions.
/
haven't been able to sleep nights
since ! heard that Kate Wentworth
wouldn't now marry Alan If 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 1t troubles
me. Tint girl formerly betrothed
to the man one is to marry wouldn't
marry him If he had $10,000000 Is
not n pleasant thing for his present
fancee 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
It,
l 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 l urged her
to tell me something about 1t 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 | should know
Then she told me that Kate had bro
ken off her engagement with Alan be-
cause he had treated her shamefully.
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. Just couldn't drive out of my
head what Carrie had told me about
his trentmen of Kate Wentworth. At
last / told him about 1t. Instead OF
hurting back the accusation like a
man, he didn't oven deny it. 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 1t. Then | told him that If
such things were not cleared up be
fore marriage they would be n thorn
in our sides after marriage. and so
long rs he wouldn't give me any sat
isfaction In the matter we had better
call our engagement off, To this he
agreed. | gave him back my beauti-
full ring. And oh. how l did hate to
part with 1t! 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
Alanand Carrie Watson is out, But
this isn't all I've been told by Grace
Fuller. Carries most intimate friend
and one of my own. too, that Carrie
Is wearing the engagement ring which
Alan gave me and which returned 10
him. To think that Carrie the ser.
pent-should have told me NIL those
things about Kate Wentworth aud
Alan. breaking my match with him
then accepting him herself | do be
lieve she told them to me purposely to
part us SO that she could get him. Oh,
my dear stars! | think | shall 20 mad.
1t Is three months since | heard that
Alan was engaged to Carrie Watson.
Today have received n note from him
saying that his engagement With Car
RE lasted only week and he had only
brought 1t about to show me how silly
/ was to listen to tales about him, lie
denies that he ever was engaged to
Kate Wentworth He sent With his
note the engagement ring and asked me
to accept 1t as n friendly gift. saying
that he has no fault to find with me.
was simply caught in n trap by an
INSCRIPTIONS woman. He closed by
saying that the incident had preju-
diced him against marriage and he had
decided to stick to his club
l thought long while before decid-
ing to accept the ring as friendly
gift" but finally decided to do so.
alone was at fault. My brother, whom
l have told all about the trouble. says
that Il man attacked by woman Is
practically defenseless and when
was told that he had treated a former