El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-03-13
The Diary of A Bachelor
He Discovers a Little, Red-Headed
Girl as His Guardian
Angel.
by Max

" EFF. 19.-Diary, permit me to intro
duce to your blank page Miss
Sarah Rae Hartman. Her hair IS
carroty red. her eyes are gray and
sharp and shrewd, her face is
speckled with freckles. and she is as
thin as a buggy whip that has been
on a months diet. Indeed. If Miss
Sarah Rae Hartman were TO go walk
ing without protection and a hungry
dog came along, he would mistake her
leg for a soup bone and carry it off.
Let me hastily add, Diary, that Miss
Sarah Rae Hartman is eleven. Were
she five years older i would not know
she had legs even if she fell an dbroke
both of them.
a Busy Observer.
Whenever the widow and I put our
chairs on the sunny side Of the porch
to get warm, OF on the shady side to
cool off or on the beach, there ap-
pears Sarah Rae, actuated. apparently
by the same motive I have decided
that she does not like the widow. If
she likes me, or not do not know, but
this I do know: That my guardian an
gel is not a heavenly vision Of moon
light dreams. but a CarrOty-hea
gray-eyed. freckled-faced girl, with the
rest Of the description withheld be-
cause of my mOdesty-
mother in name only Were she a real
grandmother her hair would be the
color the Lord intends the hair Of Did
women to be-a frosted silver as if 1t
We're the first touches Of the light fall
ing on her from above. She would
take no account of her wrinkles. and
her form would be that of a woman
who has devoted her life to others, Of
a gracefulness apparent only TO those
who see the grace Of sacrifice.
nd m q
only has brOnzed hair her face IS en-
ameled and her eyes. through looking
so defiantly at Time. have become hard
Her great ambition through life has
been to keep her figure. She reads
Robert ". Chambers and cOmpels the
child to call her Aunt Marie" The
child's father. Aunt Marie's" son. IS
hopelessly i'll in some health resort IN
Germany, and the child's mother IS
with him. She hasn't seen her mother
for four years. and in the meantime
her Aunt Marie" leaves her to her own
devices. which are not like those OF
any child I ever knew.
Mrs. Jack Spencer.
This is a sample of what this car
rOty headed guardian angel of mine
did for me today:
The widow and I were enjoying the
afternoon shade on the porch when she
asked a question she has asked many
times before. always showing eager
interest in my hitherto non commlJtal
replies.
who with a smile) is this Mrs.
Jack Spencer you quote so much2 She
must be a wonderful woman"
She is 7 responded heartily Then
I launched into praises of Mrs. Spencer
Then. because 7 talk too much. any
way, I added. she is to have the
problem of choosing my wife"
Every man. Diary. is in need of
Coat Tail Censor. one who is dele
gated tO.puu him back when he has
said just enough. In like manner. the
Coat Tail Censor would show a
preacher his first good stopping place;
he would accompany the man who isn't
in position to marry but who regards
love making as good sport, and In IL
Vulnerable WAYS he would prove the
greatest blessing the world has known
7 had no Coat Tail Censor sitting
behind me. No one gave my coat tan
a gentle pull when 7 said that Mrs;
Jack Spencer was to have the task OF
selecting my wife and because had
had no intimatiOu that I had talked
enough. and every man enjoys the
sound of his own voice, I added
'She is coming down soon to take
look at you"
7 Rasped the moment I had said it.
I knew I had said too much But L
hadn't time for sober reflection. Tor
the widow leaned quickly forward,
touched my arm lightly. and said, with
her face so close to mine 1 had TO