Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-06-09

"Unless your career is wrecked
through your own guilelessness. Yol
are very young and innocent, anc
may not see the peril ahead OF you.
81 don't think I shall go into poll
tics"
] "Oh, but l didn't mean that. There
lis something far more perilous IN
your case, and that is rnatrimony.'
| "Just how do you mean?"
| "Why, getting the wrong sort OF
girl, of course. Nine girls out Of every
ten are flirts. There are others that
are all smiles and honey while being
! courted, but when they become wives
they are shrews."
els that SOP" asked the young man.
ut surely 1s There Is one young
lady in town you should especially be.
ware Of. I will not name her, but l
do hope that you will not fall under her
influence. If you do nothing but sor.
row can come of it. She charms like
serpent"
She was coaxed for the name, but
she would not give it. Well she knew
,, that it would be guessed right enough
within half an hour.
In driving to the village they met
several people both knew and in the
outskirts who should they encounter
but Mrs. Taylor, the mother of Flor
ence. And when it was seen that they
would meet her the old maid cuddled
up to the young man in the most Low.
ing manner and laughed triumph.
Young Ralston had made up his
mind to propose matrimony that even
| ing. The fat was in the fire now.
The mother would return home to tell
f her daughter what she had seen, and
though he had no evidence that Miss
Florence was of Jealous disposition
he realized that cold wave awaited
him. The mother did go home and tell,
and Hannah Clay Dragged around that
she had got even.
1t took Miss Florence Taylor, Of
the town of Webberville, county OF
Claire and state of Ohio, just twenty
minutes to write letter to Mr.. Joe
Ralston of the same locality to the
effect that he need not tire his legs
by climbing the veranda steps any
more. Half a minute to lick on a
stamp and give it swat with her fist.
and fifteen minutes to go to the post
Office and back. Joe Ralston'sN case
was settled as surely as if he were at
the bottom Of the sea. He didn't even
call.
II Providence helps old maids some
times, 1t gets them by the neck other
times. Hannah Clay had not been
home an hour when she was seized
with chill, and the doctor said 1t
might terminate seriously. She feared
to go to the grave with burdened
conscience, and therefore sent for Miss
Florence and confessed her awful sin.
Joe Ralston was an innocent victim.
He had been written an awful, awful
letter. He might commit suicide over
1t. Miss Florence ran to the post
office. Yes, the letter was there, but it
could not be handed back to her. Uncle
Sam doesn't run his postoff1ces that
way. Perhaps she slept like an angel
all night, and perhaps not at all Per
haps she blasted Hannah Clay and all
other old maids higher than any alti-
tude yet reached by an aviator, and
perhaps she had nothing to say. At
any rate, she was at the postof1ce by
10 o'clock next morning, and she was
in waiting when Joe Ralston drove in.
He was really after the single nails
this time.
"Joe," said the girl as she ap-
preached him, II wrote you yester-
day"
Good girl"
"The letter is here
He opened the box and got it and
handed it to her.
You SEQ" she began, when he
interrupted.
Forget it, pleased"
The old maid was invited to dance
at their wedding, but she was afraid
she might get another chill.