The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-06-19
Her
Investigation
By MARTHA v. MONROE

John Alderman had proposed to Hell
en- Markley and was accepted on con
dition. Helen was a practical. farsep.
ing girl. She resolved before their en-
gagement was published to the world
indeed. before it was suspected-to
inquire about him.
She had the frankness to tell him
what she was going to do. He said
that he would be willing to have her
take that and any other p%recaution she
thought proper and was quite willing
to wait for his answer until she had
satisfied herself in the matter. =
One thing Alderman insisted on
which his tiancee balked at. He wish
ed to hear the reports she got Of him
and who made them. Miss Markley
didn't think this would be honorable
in her. Alderman replied that there
could surely be NJ harm in her telling
him who had spoken we'll of him. and
it was his right to know who had
spoken i'll Of him. She yielded the
point and agreed to tell him all.
The next three months were rather a
trying time between the lovers. When
Miss Markley heard her lover we'll
spoken of she was very gracious tn
him. When some one spoke ill Of him
she could not conceal the effect it had
Oh her. When two of the three months
had elapsed she wrote him a note.
breaking the engagement between
them. He called on her and she re
fused to receive him
He wrote her a note stating that he
supposed some one had spoken i'll OF
him and reminded her of the agree
ment that he should hear the good II
the bad. She replied that she had de.
| cided against him ON the testimony Of
one whose word was unimpeachable.
and nothing he could say would serve
to eradicate the impression that had
been made upon her.
1t now seemed to Mr.. Ackerman that
it was time to depart from the defen-
! sive and take up the offensive. He
had we'll understood from the begin
| ming that if his fancee could get per-
| sons to talk about him as they really
felt there were plenty who would
| speak Ill of him. The shortest way to
neutralize what these persons said was
to have a few words spoken by sup
posed friends of Miss Markley when
| the time came to use them. He there
fore made inquiries about her on the
same lines she inquired about him.
| Since he could not get u word with her
he fred a preliminary shot.
He wrote her of his Investigations.
which he said he did not in the least
value. but he had kept a written list
of them that he would be pleased to
compare with what she had gathered
about him. This put a different face
on the matter. Miss Markley was not
only curious to know what people had
said about her, bit she did not wish
the man she had discarded to be pref
udiced against her. She consented to
q meeting.
Alderman called with a little memo
randum book in his pocket. Miss
Markley received him coldly and ask
ed him to produce his notes.
,"F'irst," be said. us what was told
me by Miss A. when I asked her what
kind of a person you were"
"She hates me-"
Nevertheless she spoke highly OF
you. Miss Markley.' she said. is q
lovely girl"
1.-THE serpent
| ssNJoc,, .oi1 AoLorroor s.I hoDc riD-
en- you one criticism of yourself. |
would like to hear one criticism. the
one that decided you to drop me. Per.
haps l may be content with his name
alone" ..fs T.,
"Paul Gunter."
"That is quite sufficient I hold Mr.
Gunter's note for $500. He gave it to
me in lieu Of being criminally prose.
cuted by me for a proceeding which,
to say the least. vas irregular"
Alderman. who spoke these words
with a change Of manner. arose to 60.
"Have you the noteT" asked Miss
Markley.
II have. but it is under lock and key
You are the only person except Mr.
Gunter and ! who knows that I pos
sess It."
where are you going2"
There is no necessity OF going any
further IN this matter. Thus tar there
has been no betrayal Of confidence. Al
least By me. | have proved that youl
plan OF getting opinions about the mar
you would marry II q failure"
what u q girl to dor moaned Het
On. when abe consenh to link bel
life With u man she tIkSx y step In tha
dark.
Ackrrsnan Nh. .s'esr &. !lis d..sf and