Evening journal., 1912-02-27

y
man, he feels at that age usually the
frst tinge Of ennui at his bachelor
hood. The first freshness OF youth
has gone out OF him, and a vision of
a home enlivened by wife and chill
dren looms up before him.
Walter Nixon had reached this age.
or, rather, in his case, It was standing
between the period Of thoughtless
youth and thoughtful middle age One
day be was skylarking with lot Of
young men and women when some
one proposed that they should have
mock wedding.
"I'll be the bride" said Jaqueline
Woodruff, a girl who was always hrst
and foremost in any pranS.
'And III be the groom" said Walter
gallantly since he was standing be-
side her at the moment, and all eyes
were turned upon him.
Few young people realize that it is
dangerous to trifie with a wedding,
but it is.
So Walter Nixon and Jaqueline Wood
ruff stood up. One Of the young men
of the party asked il they would take
each other for husband and wife.
Walter took a seal ring Off his finger
and put it on that of Jaqueline, the
man who was officiating pronounced
them man and wife, aud, amid many
jokes and much laughter they re-
ceived congratulations from the others.
No one considered it anything more
than an escapade. and when new
amusement was proposed the specta-
tors forgot all about the frst.
A few days later Miss Woodruff. on
opening her mail, read a note from
Walter Nixon, beginning my dear
wife" IL contained an invitation to
the theater and several facetious re-
remarks as TO her duty toward the
writer as her husband. II was all
very funny, and somehow it sounded
rather pleasant She was Of mar
riageable age and since she was twen-
ty-two years old thought 1t high time
she should be married. Nixon was a
good fellow, able to support a wife
and generally acceptable. Jaqueline
did not know how much OF joke and
how much of earnest there was in his
letter, but she felt at liberty to reply
IN kind. So she began her letter MY
dear husband and signed it Your
loving wife,
Soon after this Nixon was telling
Cummings, a lawyer friend. about
"the joke" as he called it. Cummings
~hrr
Nixon asked him If he thought any
thing Of import could come of it.
"The lady" replied the lawyer, "if
she were disposed to claim you as her
husband. might make it very unpleas-
ant for you"
nYou don't mean ite exclaimed
Nixon.
"You have addressed her as My dear
wife, which is pretty good evidence
in law that you have married her.
Suppose she says she considered the
marriage a contract. What are you
going TO do about it with your letter
IN her hands p
"By Jovei never thought OF that.
What shall / dog'
"The only thing you can do is to get
your letter and destroy it."
"I'I do it at once"
That evening Nixon called on Miss
woodruff for the express purpose Of
returning her letter and getting pos
session of his own. She was in a
very becoming costume and smiled on
him pleasantly.
I'm glad you've come. dear" she
said. with twinkle in her eye. I've
been in an agony for fear you had
met with some accident. How could
YOU remain so long away from meE'
How pleasant that sounded, Though
the words were in fun. he thought he
would like to hear more Of their kind.
He would keep up the pleasantly for
awhile before mentioning the matter
of the exchange Of letters. So he said
something to her that he considered
proper for a husband to say to wife.
forgetting that It was more appropriate
for a lover. and it was all so funny
that they kept it up for some time.
Before departing he said;
MY friend Cummings says that II
you really choose TO claim mel mean
II 7 really choose TO claim you for my
wife-I might put you to lot Of trou-
BILE"
"What troublef'
"well, might insist that our mar
Rage was serious"
''Well?"
"And You might he stoHped