Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1911-12-07
Miss Matildn weathersby on open
Ing her morning mail read c circular
letter. as follows:

Ing her morning mail read c circular
letter. as follows:
You are invited TO be present st O meet
lns OF bachelors and splnsters for the pur-
pose OF organizing q matrimonial exchange
for elderly persona
Because that period at which persons
usually marry has passed there 10 no rea-
son why marriage should be entirely Civ
en up The exchange In intended for those
that they may be thrown together with q
view to forming matrimonial copartner-
/ ships for their mutual comfort
Miss weathersby thought the matter
! over and concluded to attend the meet
/ ing. She was fifty-two, but did noe
consider herself old enough TO entitIs
her to a membership to the exchange.
Nevertheless she was very lonely aud
ready to catch at any straw that might
bring her companionship.
On entering the room where the
! meeting was held Miss WeatheTsby re-.
ceived q shock. Men and women
whose hair was either sprinkled with
gray or had turned white werU chat.
ting together. any one OF whom. shs
She was received by the chairwomnu
Of the ladies' reception committee and
made bold TO express the opinion that
those she saw present were entirely
too old for marriage. To her aston
ishment the lady informed her that
most of the women present were her
juniors.
A gentleman was presented 20 Miss
Weathersby. whose name she did not
hear. who began to chat with her. nat
urally choosing for subject the pur
poses OF the exchange Miss Wealth.
ersby declared that she had come siul-
ply from curiosity; that she was pcF-
fectly satisfied with single life and
would not marry On any account
Perhaps said the gentleman.
years ago you loved some young man
from whom fate separated you"
Rather say his own innate wicked
ness"
land You we're obliged to send him
awayT
I 81 certainly was"
Sometimes in such matters the w.
man Is partly Mt fault"
'srhat WAS not 30 In rny case"
! 81 was dismissed by a girl l loved.
/ was but twenty-five years old. she
nineteen. She considered herself very
badly treated by me. felt sure that
she was in error. therefore If yield
ed to her / would not only make
( mistake in that instance, but be oblig-
ed to continue yielding TO her. right or
wrong, throughout our married lives.
Therefore ] refused. and she dismiss-.l
me-"
My case was very different" snd
Miss Weathersby Il was entirev
right and nv lover wns entire
wrong. ! had n brother who needed
, my care. | insisted on his living With
me after my marriage. My lover very
selfshly declined the arrangement.
naturally clung TO my brother and 1T
my lover co.
"Was your brother worthy OF the
sacrifice OF the happiness Of two per
sonsT''
! He was.
"Afrectionate. unselish. honorable"
"All these"
els he still living with your
"No. lie died twenty years ago"
There was pause in the dialogue.
during which the gentleman looked
thouChtfnlly at his companion and
with a tinge Of melancholy I'm his eye.
Then he said
"What would you think OF your ac
ton II Il could be proved TO you that
your brothe- was unworthy OF the sac
rifce you made for him-n saCriire
that involved your lovers lifelong hap
pinessT
mo such supposItion il possible"
He drew forth hia pOcketbook and
took ont paper which he banded 20
her. She read H. and every vestig"
Of color left her face. IL wns cor
fession written many years before 10
her lover by this same brother thai
be had stolen money from him. the
! confession being made on condition
that the debt was cancelled and the
theft kept a secret. When Miss
Weatherby looked Up she gagped:
"And you are Tom
81 am Tom"
! "Why did you not tell me Of This
at the time II occurredr'
81 preferred that you should choose
between me and your brother rather
than between me and n criminal \
lover, husband who IL willing IN -
second TO any one IL a weakling"
. From the time Of her entrance into
the world to the present moment Miss
B WeHthcrsby had been one of tlose