The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1914-01-01
A Case of
Worldly Wisdom
By EFFIE D. GARDNER

with him he was very badly cut I'D.
He did not blame Mabel; she was not
much over seventeen years old-cer-
tainly not an age at which a girl is
warranted in marrying counter to the
express wishes of her parents.
Auchinkloss was permitted to call
upon Miss Willmarth to say goodby,
after which he was expected to refrain
from visits or communication. He
found her as much averse to breaking
with him as he was to breaking with
her, but he also found her resolute in
her determination to obey her mother
Father and mother" she said, have
only me. If 1 marry you in opposition
| to their commands a barrier will be
raised between them'and me that will
never be removed. Besides, mother
has convinced me that couples usually
grow together, irrespective of any at
| tachments for others either husband
or wife may have had before mar
| riage. We must make the best of the
present for the sake of the future,
You will marry another girl and will
be nothing to you. 1 suppose 1 shall'-
Forget mel"
81 don't know. 1t doesn't seem to
me now that | can"
what you have said has, of course,
come from your mother. 1t is too wise
to be spoken by a girl of seventeen.
| But confess that it is wise, or seems
to be, and would not for the world
persuade you to do an unwise thing
! One thing 1 wish you to tell me: Has
not your mother some one in view for
! you who she thinks will be able to
give you more than II:
"Why do you ask that questions"
Because until very recently both
she and your father seemed to be we'll
satisfied with me for sOn-in-law.'
Mother especially enjoined me to
say nothing to you about any future
relations between me and any one else.
She says that, having broken with you,
you are not supposed tc, take any fur
Their interest in me. Surely you can
not be expected to approve of any man
that she-I mean Knight marry
Fright again-that is, if your SEN
tence had been finished as you began
it. You should have finished that she
might select Nevertheless it is evil
dent that some one has been selected
for you, and naturally l. am especially
anxious to know who the fellow is"
1.-THE fellow?'
"Well, the gentleman"
"Your use of the word shows that
mother is right. You would naturally
be prejudiced against any man might
marry"
He tried for an hour to induce her to
tell him the name Of her new fiance,
but, having promised her mother that
she would answer no questions with
regard to her future. she stood firm.
Finally he asked her if lie should write
a number of names on a bit of paper
to tell him whether the name he wish
ed to know was on the list. Since the
man was a newcomer and she did not
believe Auchinkloss had ever seen or
heard Of him, she consented. He wrote
twenty names OH the paper and hand
ed it to her. She handed it back to
him with a request to be released from
her agreement. Auchinkloss released
her and Immediately took his depar-
ture
Several weeks rolled around, and
Miss Willmarth saw nothing of her
discarded lover. She did not even
l. ctn
prising. because the town in which
they lived was small. More weeks
passed with like result. His place was
not supplied by the new sutton, be-
cause Mr.. and Mrs. Willmarth had de-
cided that he might not pay their
she had passed her eighteenth birth
day. Then the couple might be en-
gagged, but for a year before marriage.
Such an arrangement prevented any
one from linking the two names to-
gether.
Four months passed between the
time Auchinkloss was discarded and
Mabers eighteenth birthday. The lat
ter had passed and the engagement
haG been made. though not announced.
when the new appOintee was arrested
one day on a charge of giving Il check
on a bank where he had no account.
Other claims against him followed the
first, and it was not long before a pref
ty black record came to light. The
engagement between him and Mabel
was broken without any one outside
the family knowing that it had oc-
Cured.
Then one day Auchinkloss appeared
at the Willmarth home and was re-
stored to favor.
"You remember" he asked. "our con-
versation when | was dismissed about
a natural prejudice on my part as to the
that prejudice served a purpose. 1t
was l who unearthed your new lover"
"You? Why, you didn't know his !
name"
Il did. His name was the only name |
on the paper 1 handed you that was
not fictitious. had heard of him sew
eral years before and had not heard |
any good of him. 1 went away and
spent weeks tracing his record, and
finally put those he had swindled on |
his track"
"You don't mean it?'
"But for me you might have'married
a swindler."
All of which goes to show that our |
worldly wisdom doesn't count for |
much.