The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-03-20
WHAT SAM THOUGHT
BY BILLY BACHELOR.


Ing to . paragraph under the head.
ing. Social Gleanings." which read:
"Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Hamilton IN.
nounce the marriage OF their daush-
ter. Ethel. and Oscar Newman. 1t
Grace church. Oakburn. Tuesday.
October L.
What do you think Of IT, Sam!'
inquired as l tossed the paper hack
TO him.
It's An outrage. . BANKED outrage!
What right has Os Newman to marry
anybody but Beatrice Price? Don't
all her friends. all his friends. know
he 10 wildly in love with her? Haven't
they known 1t for ever . year? Hasn't
be followed Beatrice about like .
hungry dog chasing bone ever since
he FIRST met her? l repeat. what
right has he to marry Ethel Hamil
ton! Why. she's . child. . silly little
butterfly Of fashion. o. never can
love that type Of woman. and you
know 1t, BILL"
Yes. I know it. What do you sup.
pose poor old Oscar did it for?"
Sam hitched his chair up closer to
mine, lighted his pipe and took . few
slow inhalations before he replied by
shaking his head slowly and pro-
nouncing the one word, "Pique."
1T looks like It. must admit" said
I. "And yet gave Oscar credit for
too much common sense to ever let
him do . fool trick like that"
Beatrice turned him down, and he
Swore he would get even"
well. Of all the! It's . mighty
queer thing. Sam. how men-and
women-try to prove how little they
really care for the person they once
protested to love 30 deeply by turn
ing around and marrying some one
else. How the proving Of themselves
nckle-minded should give them ono
moments pleasure. or how. under
such circumstances, they can hope
for happiness passes my understand.
ing.
1T Just goes to show. I think, that
the love such people have 10 very
small. not the grand passion. the over.
powering devotion OF a great soul, a.
they like to imagine 1t Is. Hurt vain.
fly, smarting pride and the fiendish
aesire to hurt in return are more re-
sp0nsible for the marriage from pique
than any heart wounds either man or
woman may feel.
"The man who has tried his best ia
win the one woman in the world and
failed: the woman who has given heI
best to a man who proves himself
false, will not be In any hurry to bind
themselves by marriage VOWS to an
other person.
"Such fatal steps-and they nearly
always are fatal-show suffering self
c0nceit rather than a broken heart
an error into which those who ar'
only half in love ever fall.
1.-THE man squares up his shoulder
md says, Well, maybe I won't show
that girl . thing or two!' The CIR
losses her pretty head, pins on
saucy little bow Of ribbon or dons ,
new frock and fares forth. vowin,
that she'll just show that man hov
little she really cared.
"This Is far more dangerous for [
man, especially man Of Oscars TEN
permanent than for woman. Tn
woman may come to love her HUSBAND
II he Is kind and good to her. but, .
you know, Sam. no man ever give
his heart to . woman after marriage.
"You are right about that, old man
Il hurts. though, to think that Osca
could display 30 much innate NEAR
ness. can't understand how IN
honorable man could allow himself t
commit such q fraud II is q FRAUD
. lie, q cheat! Do you suppose eve
silly little Ethel Hamilton would cor
sent to marry q man who frankly al
mitted he only asked her to be hi
wife in order to get even with u
other woman?
"Os has committed not only one q
the greatest pieces of folly In his If
but has acted in a shameful name
toward the girl who is now his Wit
BY George! feel like"
But here I laid a OBTAINING hand o
Sans arm and told him 1t didn't ma
ter what he felt like doing, he mus
not do anything. "Tf Oscar has bee
fool enough to marry out Of piqu'
thnn his life will be punishmer
enough, without any one else buttin
In and making things more miserabl
for the girl"
You're right, old man! Well, &
long; it's about time to turn In. an
I'm tired"
Good night, Sam. Don't worr
about other peoples troubles. We .
have enough OF our own"