The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1913-01-03

81 never had any desire to tell" con-
tinued Mrs. Wack, with mischievous
twinkle in her blue eyes. 1T always
seemed to me that 1t was nobody's
business"
The remark was not meant to be
rude 1t was merely expressive. Mrs.
Wack said so.
"The longer we kept the secret"
she observed, the easier it was. It's
really just matter of practice. At
first had to be a little careful how |
referred to our trip to Elizabeth"
"You know we were married over at
Elizabeth" interrupted Mr.. Wack, ra-
diant with happiness and quite ready
to tell all he knew. His wife resumed
the theme.
Il told my mother was going to
little social affair l had to give some
reason for dressing up, you know"
Of course this was the truth. How
could a wedding be anything else
than "a social AFFAIR."" Besides that
Mabel had on her very prettiest dress
"a blue silk-with a corsage bouquet
Of lilies of the valley and bride roses.
To see her no one would ever have
dreamed that she was going into
training as a long-distance secret
keeper. Certainly there was no indi-
cation of poverty.
1t was the poverty fairy tale fol-
Eaowed by one OF great wealth suddenly
acquired that made Mrs. Wack almost
decide never to reveal to the world
whether or not it really hurt to keep
| secret.
Refutes Gosslps' Tales.
"The gossips said we kept our mar
riage secret because Will was not
over rich just at that time," she ex-
claimed almost tragically, and William
joined vigorously in denouncing as
untrue all the many statements to
that effect.
Il was in just as good a position
to marry four years ago as l am to-
day." he announced. 1T wasn't pow
erty but a. desire to please Mabels
parents that made us keep the secret.
They wanted her to teach school, and
she wanted to teach. | didn't want
her to teach, and so we decided to
wait until she was willing to give
UP"
That was enough. 1t brought the
young wife again out from the realms
of silence.
Until Will was willing to let me
keep on teaching. she observed
Now that he says I may, l rather
think I'll not teach longer than next
June"
Suffragettes should not lose the
moral of this tale. The woman who
can keep secret is sure of victory.
know, for Mrs. Wack said so.
ut is natural for me to be reticent,"
she explained. That's why it WIS
easy for me to keep secret l can
not recall an instance when | felt the
least inclined to tell"
Think Of it, o daughters of Eve!
What heroism to conquer even the in
clination to embroider wv" on an in.
i. conspicuous wash cloth! What self.
sacrificing devotion to principle that,
t for four years could undergo the priv.
ileges of Ruth and resist proclaiming
= from the housetopS, His people are
my people and my mother is his moth
o er-in-law!"
All honor to the Newark woman
j. who so tactfully OWNED the time tc
!. keep silent and the time to speak.
4 So far as it Id known, only one 9th
/. er pioneer has preceded her into the
g realms of secrecy That one Is thu
|, immortal bard who wrote the pathetic
J. stanza beginning With the soulful line
4 Il know something | won't tell"
!, 1t was just THAI way with Mrs
d Wack. With William it was different
He couldn't keep q secret.
8 Il haven't told Mabel yet" he whis
g pered, but the boys at the bank pre-
!. sented me with a purse this after
n noon"
Il Mabel reappeared and the whispe
It ceased.
q. Mr.. and Mrs. William Wack o
a Newark, N j., are not living in tn
n lordly splendor that the alleged fol
tune made in Wall street would ind
4. cate. Neither have they ever bee
much impoverished. They are jus
two very agreeable and unaffected
c. young people, housekeeping for tn
1t past few weeks in a commodiou
apartment in an old.fashioned house