The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-02-14
By MARTHA A. HARDING

my mothers death | went to- live with
my aunt. She had made an unfortu.
na;e marriage in her youth and had
been divorced. Her husband was still
living, and she did not marry again.
One matrimonial experience was quite
enough for her. But she possessed a
fortune. and her husband. who was Il
lawyer by profession. was on the
watch for any technicality that would
email bic him to get any of it. For in
stance, the laws of the state in which
she lived required that the husband
should join with the wife in conveying
real estate. My aunt owned the house
in which she lived. and her husband
would not join in a deed conveying it
unless she would give him half the
amount of the purchase money.
My aunt did not wish to sell her
house, but the matter opened her eyes
to what she had to fear from her hus-
band, especially if he outlived her. |
was to be her heir. and she dreaded
lest he should attempt to break any
will she should make in my favor with
a view to depriving me of my inherit
ance.
Her fears did not end here. Sup
pose | should have the i'll luck she had
experienced in making a marriage
The idea was horrible to her. Scarcely
a day passed that she did not remind
me of the dangers incurred in taking u
husband and always ended by advising
me to lead a life Of spinsterhood.
These constant admonitions served to
defeat the purpose for which they were
intended. The quickest way to get a
young person TO do anything is to warn
him OF her against it. Youngsters wish
to see the folly of it, as we'll as their
seniors. There is another adage that
works in connection with this one.
Stolen fruit is the sweetest" l not
only wished to marry because my aunt
warned me not to do so. but l was
ready to enter upon a love affair with
out her knowing it.
l vas but seventeen when | met
Charlie Edison. and he showed a predis-
position in my favor. He was half a
dozen years older than I and was con-
sidered a fine young man by all who
knew him.
Nevertheless l question If our init
macy would have ripened into love had
| not told him that my aunt was OPP
posed to my marrying any one. and |
expected to be an old maid. My aunt's
action had the same effect on Charlie
that it had on me. He began to make
love to me at once, and l experienced
the delightful sensation Of eating stolen
fruit.
This was enjoyable only for a short
time. Love leads to matrimony. and
the first thing l knew my delight was
turned to worry. My lover. who was
more farsighted than L, inferred that
if | took a step toward marriage with
out my aunt's consent she might cut
me of from my expected Inheritance.
l did not think she would do that. but
the possibility of her doing it troubled
me Charlie was a clerk with a salary
of $40 q month, and he at least had
sense enough to know that marriage
between us on such an income meant
hard times ahead.
But when two persons are violently
in love with each other prudence hides
her face. After much tribulation we
did what many youngsters have done
before us to their cost. We went to "A
parson and got married. he alone know
ing Of the marriage. Then ! went home
and Charlie went home, and where
there was worry before there was now
misery.
1t happened soon after this that my
aunt's divorced husband attempted by
process Of law to get possession of a
certain piece of property she owned by
means of a paper he had induced her to
sign when they were living together:
or. rather. the attempt was to levy
blackmail. since he offered to with
draw the suit if she would pay him a
stipulated sum. This act so Infatuated
her. so filed her with horror at what
she called the iron chains of matrimony
that she sent for her attorney and made
a new will. which prevented my get
ting possession of her estate after her
death in case | vas then married. Her
object was to save me from the iron
chains. and this was the only way she
could effect that object.
No sooner had she made this new
will than she Informed me of the fact.
Imagine my establishment and my cha
grin. My first impulse was to throw
myself into her arms and confess. bit
I remembered that l had a husband
with whom to consult. so / only said:
well. aunty. 1 suppose that makes
me an old maid"
Rather say It insures you from the
persecution of some demon Of a man..
When | told Charlie Of what had
happened he was sick at heart. blam-
ing himself for having deprived me nf
a fortune. But we were both yonng
and full OF vtgor. and before the emf
0f our interview we agreed that we
would rather have each other than thn
fortune. and since we couldn't have
both we were satisfied. Our financial