The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-10-02
By OSCAR COX

~ III NAN
to him."
"H'm! Better wait till you get one
of 'em. He says that only a few OF
the most desirable young ladies OF tne
town will be invited to compete"
"Worse and worse, l wonder that
he hasn't died Of conceit before tnls.
Connected persons never die OF that
disease; they seem to thrive on 1t"
"Of course you won't take any no,
tice of his circular"
Certainly not. but there's one tnlns
I'd like to know-that Is. II any OF
the girls so demeans herself as to fall
in with his idea. which n OF them
will get the
prize. Just think of that fellow
Offering himself as a prize"
"Ill tell you what l have a mind
to do"
"Vhat?"
1--WE a mind to fill in his questions
Just to see what comes of it."
Cant you find that out without
pandering to his silly conceit?"
mo; he says that no information will
be given any girl who has not been
invited to compete and does not enter
the race"
"Race-oh heavens! Don't you know
that the girl who wins will let it be
known even if she submits to the in.
dignity for fun or to punish him?"
"Well, I'm going to pretend to be a
candidate, and if l win l shall just tell
him what l think of him."
That's n good idea. | believe I'll
do so too"
There were a dozen eligible girls in
the town, and six received the circular.
The six who we're left out were furi-
Every one of them pronounced
Woodbridge's %impudence %unbearable.
The six who were invited seemed to
have various opinions Of Woodbridge's
act. Some considered it objectionable,
some pronounced it very funny. and
one or two girls with advanced views
considered it a very practical way of
getting a wife. They said they had a
mind to select husbands in the same
way.
One morning MIR. Woodbridge was
surprised at receiving through the mail
a note inclosing a list Of printed ques-
tions filed in in writing. The note
said that the sender considered his
competitive examination for a wife
perfectly brutal" but that under.
meath it all was a basis Of common
sense.
I'm cowhide those fellows" remark.
ed Mr.. Woodbridge, red as a beet. 81
didn't suppose when they threatened
to perpetrate that joke ON me that they
would have the hardihood to do it."
The next morning Woodbridge re-
reived another set Of examination pa
pers and a set in the afternoon. Each
girl who responded had an especial ex.
cuse for doing so.
This is getting interesting" remark.
ed Woodbridge to himself. "What ex.
cellent a these girls have for com.
pet1ng! After all, what's wrong in the
'dea? Marriages are made in all sorts
of ways. Why not by competitive ex.
animation: In this age of marriages.
experimental marriages, in which both
husband and wife are to be boss. mar.
rlases without ceremony and marriage
Till the contracting parties are tired of
each other. why not go a step further
and have marriages on examinations"
In the last set of examination ma.
pers Mr.. Woodbridge received all tha
questions were scratched and new ones
inserted. The new ones were 50 word.
ed as to constitute a virtual examine.
ton OF the man. The lady inclosed
the paper in a note stating that she
considered the plan admirable. but the
questions e all wrong. If Mr.
Woodbridge considered his examino.
tlon satisfactory she would be hannv
TO marry him at once. She had a brand
new idea of the marriage ceremonv
Ihe couple We're to be photographed
standing beside each other HOLDING
hands She objected to anything being
said on the occasion since matrimonial
promises. all the world knew. did mt
mean anything.
Woodbridge burst into a Iouyh At
this form Of marriage. He wrote a
reply to each n of the young lod,os
VINO had sent in papers stating that
there had been a reaction toward mod.
esty In him. He would do n hit oY
counting with the winner. and If sbo
accepted him the result of the exam;.
nation would be known by tha nm.
nouncement Of his engagement with
her. ."
This set the girls agog till one dav T.
was announced that Alfred Wood.
bridge was engaged to be married IN
Miss Kate Goodwin.
Woodbridge gave his friends who h.a
perpetrated the joke upon him n srn.
per as an acknowledgment OF his pro+i.
tude for being instrumental in his 90.
curing so much happiness.