The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-08-14

her so right away, but didn't. l
thought that she would get tired of me
after awhile and turn me loose.
"Well, l met Lucy. We fell in love
with each other. It just happened. l
kept intending to write to the other
girl and tell her plainly that every
thing was off, but l kept postponlns
It. It seemed like a deuce Of hard
job to tackle.
"But finally did write her. That
was the very day Lucy promised to
throw Prent McMakin over and marry
me.
1--WE decided the best plan would be
to slip away quietly and get married
We knew it would raise row, but
there was bound to be a row anyhow
when they found she intended to
marry me instead Of McMakin. So VIC
figured we might just as well be away
from there.
I'VE left your place early on the morn
ing Of Oct. 81, 1SSS-do you remember
the date, Tom? We took the train fol
GAINESVILLE, Tenn, and got there about
2 O'Clock that afternoon. We were
married in the hotel parlor. One OF
the hotel clerks and the county clerk
himself were the witnesses.
"We went to Cincinnati and from
there to Chicago. There we got rooms
out on the south side-Hyde park, they
called it. And got me job. l had
some money left, but not enough to buy
kohinoors and racehorses with. Be-
side, I really wanted to get to work
wanted it for the first time in my life.
I'VE had been in Chicago a week
when Lucy wrote home what she had
done. and begged forgiveness for being
so abrupt about 1t. At least. suppose
that is what she wrote: 1t was'-
II remember exactly what she wrote. y
says Colonel Tom.
II never knew exactly" says the
doctor. "The same mail that brought
word from you that your grandfather
had had some sort Of a stroke, as a
consequence Of our elopement, brought
also two letters from Emma, the other
girl. You had forwarded them to Chi
cago. uf.
"Those letters began the trouble.
You see, hadn't told Emma when
wrote breaking off the engagement that
I was going to get married the next
day. And Emma hadn't received my
letter, or else had made up her mind
to ignore it. Anyhow, those letters
were regular love letters.
''Tom, I was in bad. The dates on
them, you know, were SO recent. !
didn't want Lucy to read them. But l
didn't dare to act as If didn't want
her to. So I handed them over.
II suppose-to bride who had only
been married little more than week
and who had hurt her grandfather
nearly to death in the marrying-those
letters must have sounded rather odd.
tried to explain. But all my explana.
lions only seemed to make the case
worse for me.
II tried to tell her that loved no one
but her. She pointed out that must
to Emma She said she was almost
as sorry for Emma as she was for
herself. When Lucy got through with
me Tom, looked like thirty cents
and felt like twenty-five of that was
plugged.
II didn't have sense enough to know
that it was most Of it grief over her
grandfather, and nerves and hysteria.
l wasn't so very old myself, and l
hadn't ever been married before. l
should have kept my mouth shut until
It was all over, and then when she be-
gan to cry should have coaxed her
up and made her feel like I was the
only solid thing to hang on to In the
whole world. 5
& 'But tho bottom had dropped out Of
the universe for me. She had said she
hated ma I was fool enough to be-
lievo her. I went downtown and be-
ean 70 drink I como home late that
nieht Tho poos sifi had hssn waiting