The daily Alaskan., 1913-10-03
AN ABORTIVE ATTEMPT
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

We are living up to our income, anu If anything should happen to her fa- ther she would have to go to work. That would end her chances for mar rying in the set to which she belongs. It would take her from the young men whom she has been accustomed to meet socially, and work soon spells girls looks She has turned down three men during the past year. All the mothers of sons are afraid of her. AS soon as she has fooled one another idiot steps into his place"
 My Bert is much the same in refer ence to girls" replied Mrs. Keane. Tt doesn't matter so much about mans delaying marriage, but l should like to see Bert married. He needs q settler, and marriage alone will make a man stop prancing and bring him down to steady gait. Suppose we shut the two up where they can't get away from each other and not let any one else come near either of them till we get them married"
 'The very thing"
 eve go to our country place next month. Come and make us a yislt' bringing Jack with you"
 Thanks very much. shall be de- lighted"
 On the 1st of June Mrs. Keane re- moved to her country place, taking her son with her She was obliged to bribe him to come. As to his staying, she depended on Jaqueline Markham to keep him. She told him that she was to have Mrs. and Miss Markham for guests and wished him to help her en- certain them, but at the slightest sign of his making love to the daughter she would make an excuse to terminate the visit Mrs. Markham gave similar instructions to Jaqueline. Any effort or her part to make conquest of Bert Keane would be signal for their re- turning to their home.
 Since neither of the young persons wished to pass the time shut up in the country at a season when the city was still attractive it would seem that they would at once do what they were for bidden to do. So they did, and their willy mothers knew they would, but the latter could If they liked be for bearing or blind or anything to avoid separating the two youngsters.
 It was scarcely necessary to oppose any lOvemaking between MT. keane and Miss Markham to bring about a filtration. The mothers saw at once that if they could keep off other young men and women till the affair was played out there was hope for the sue cess of their plan. No other guest was invited, neither man nor woman. The Keane place was not near other simi- lar places, and the summer hegira from the city did not take place till the lst of July.
 Had the mothers held to their threat the visit would have ended within an hour from its commencement The youngsters began battle royal at the first moment of their meeting. JaQue- line was the aggressor. Bert, not withstanding his mothers view of him, with women invariably stood on the defensive, but when attacked was an excellent combatant. The two were permitted to walk sand drive out to- gether and often availed themselves of the permission. They always came back together, so that their mothers felt satisfied that they had found DO other outlet for playing their pranks and while at home were inseparable. Nevertheless ten days had scarcely elapsed before Mrs. Keane on entering a room where the two were supposed 1 to be ''spoOning" was surprised to see Jauueline at one end of it engrossed in a novel, while Bert was at the other reading a newspaper. This was not encouraging. A few days later Jack disappeared. She had left note for her mother stating that she had gone home and her going was a matter of necessity. During the day 1t was re- ported that a young farmer In the neighborhood had attempted suicide. | Still later a woman came to the Keanes with blood in her eye asking for the girl who had broken her sons | heart.
 Bert fled the same evening, and the next mornings mall brought a note from a country girl representing him for not having met her lat the trysting place."
 The next few days brought news of other incursions on the part both of Bert and Jaqueline. Then the two mothers made inquiries as to how those whom they had endeavored to keep out of harms way by keeping them together and apart from others had found their opportunities, with the following result:
 They had gone out together and re turned together, but there was no evi- dence that they had remained together during their absence.
 Jack is incorrigible," said her moth CT gloomily. Tt Is impossible to do anything with her."
 "I'm afraid Bert Is no better" said her friend.
 Strange to say, the young man, who was at this time but twenty years old: