Putnam patriot., 1911-09-01
ss's ? ' v A DONKEY
 ENGINE
 Illustrating Some Points h Gins Choice of a Husband By EMILY SEWELL Copyright by American Press Asso-
 ciatiOA. IgiL
By EMILY SEWELL

Why is fl that the most importan step in life. marriage. k often decided at haphazardt Perhaps fl Is because every one considers marriage a lottery At any rate. an impatient word. [ flower given in the nick of time q misunderstood sentence. smile. vii often determine whether Molly is tC marry Tom. with q happy life before her or John with misery and final di vorce
 Margaret Lee. though still young and comparatively inexperienced, was born 10 q natural insight into such matters Where most young ladies would give their hearts in return for compli ment. she looked for something more enduring She was wiser even than this She knew that she could not forecast what her fate would be with any nun Tom might be one of na lures noblemen. but he might also he poor proYider. John might be mar row minded and selfish. but might bestow upon her wealth and honors Margaret renlized that she must take her chances
 Miss Lees choice gradually narrow cd down to one of two men. Her Tom and John were Pope Armstrong and Ee Baron Brown. Armstrong rep resented what h1s been said of Tom. he wis especially interested in his own career Brown w#s. iH some respects. tfpided by John He WAS q noble fellow but ~as regarded bs his friends fl full If fiHe mHuctied5Hr impulses and T born saHbIer mol a gambler in the uHrroa hat the broad sense Both wanted Margaret aH4 Margaret wanted one or the other gf them Her judgment said Armstrong her inclination favored HFa#n
 One evening Armstrong Weat t9 see her and used eeFy excellent arguments why she should marry him tie was getting eo9J salary. with prospects of better He was putting aside 33 per cent of his income and already had q nest egg laid up that was paying him q q interest. T am going for houses and laHds" he said and you know that this is no vain bonst, for have already done the hardest part of the work. l have got the first thou sand dollars"
 Margarets head if not her heart was won She remembered that Brown had recently loaned friend $500. that he never expected To see again. Would she not better settle the matter between them now. and In favor of Armstrong? She would if she could. but she could not.
 Come tomorrow evening" she said. 'and I'll try to give you an answer
 I'll tell what I'll do. Margaret" said the wooer. "I'll come tomorrow evening and we'll flip a coin to decide whether you marry me or not"
 Very we'll" said Margaret, in tired way
 The next day she met Brown on the street. and he walked home with her. They had so much to say to each other that they couldn't say it all be. fore reaching her house, so Brown went in
 Margaret" he sald. T have no doubt that you can do better by mar rying some one else than me. But my argument is this: You must take the risk any way Why not take it with a man you love- Besides. some men are capable of being made by wife. You would undoubtedly have hard time with me. but you're level head ed girl. and that's the kind need l an engine can't run itself: it must have an engineer"
 Margaret was SO influenced by this argument especially since her heart was enlisted, that she promised the young man that if something wouldn't tell what turned out the next evening certain way she would marry him Brown showed that when interested in subject he had lot of hang on in him. for he never gave up till he drew the information out of her that she was to decide his rivals fate by the spinning of coin. Then he refused t6 let go until she had agreed to give him m equal rhunoe. She con sented thai he shun'd be present the next evening and he eein should de eide between him and Armstrong. The coin would be spun HIS T hit of pleas antry. but it was understood that whichever man won won in earnest
 The advantage was all with Brown because he knew of the game 10 be played and had day in which to pre- pare for it. One may say that in such tn affair there Is no preparation to be made or if any Is possible 1t is dis honorable.
 But while Armstrong had the steadi ness of a planet revolving in its fixed orbit. Brown was a man for occasion. While he had noble impulses. he did not allow them to run away with him in tue matter of the girl he loved Alrs fair in war Gnd love Is . princi Die of nature During the evening he tpun coins on smooth table top til midnight Before he had finished he had discovered how to make them fall on which ever side he chose
 The next morning he telephoned to his employer that he would not be ready for business that day and had no excuse to offer for his absence "very sorry to lose you Mir. Brown" was the reply. but you needn't come tomorrow; your place will be filled
 IL may seem singular that man struggling to get wife should give U the income on which to support hel but Brown argued that he couldn't gt the wife and keep the position. II possessed the faculty of deciding b' furean fhe greater and the lesser. H