The Press., 1914-11-18
i An Up to Date
 Matrimonial Method
By OSCAR COX .

Well, | declare!'' exclaimed Kat Goodwin. ..>t .. -sbns. ...
 What is it?" asked her friend. Clars BeaIl
 If that isn't the most monumental piece of impudence Fever heard off
 'lTeiI me what it iS."
 .'You know that red headed, freckled tocse jointetl Ali WoodbridgeT,' .-, -
 Yes" ..-.-Al.@ | Well, he's sent, me Imprinted circu lar stating that he's in the market fol wife. He says he's up for cOmpeti ton. n prize. Just think of 1t! Hel marry the girl who passds the best ex animation in those things that are req uIslte In n wife," T#5..'~''' '-''.
 Do you mean to say that he has hat the assurance to do such a thing?"
 Il do." .., .:
 He hasn't sent me one of his circu lars. If he did I'd send it right back to him. "H'm! Better wait till you get ont of 'em. He says that only a few of the most desirable young ladies of the town will be invited to compete" .~ Worse and worse. wonder that he hasn't died of conceit before this
 'Conceited persons never die of that disease; they seem to thrive on it." -''
 "Of course you won't take any, no tice of his circular ,. '"'..c,.- es.. 2u.+ .,.1.
 Certainly not, but theres,one thing I'd like to know-that is. if any of the girls so demeans herself as to fall in with his idea. which one of them will get the"-
 |; Prize. Just think of that fellow offering himself as a prize?'
 "I'l tell you what l have a mind to do."
 "What?"
 'I've mind to fill in his questions just to see what comes of il" ;; .- 4. Can't you find that out without pandering to his silly conceit?'
 "No; 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 q candidate, and if win l shall just tell him what think of him.
 That's good idea, | believe I'll do so too."
 There were dozen eligible girls in the town, and six received the<circular The six who were left out were furi ous. Every. one of them pronounced WOodbridge's impudence unbearable The six who were invited seemed to have various opinions of WOOdbridges act. Some considered it unpardoIrl ble some pronounced it very funny. and one or two girls with advanced views considered it q very practical way. ot 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 mai note inclosing list of printed ques- tions filled fin ill writing. The note said that the sender considered his competitive examination for wife perfectly brutal" but that under meath it all was a basis of common sense.
 ''Pll cOwhide those fellows" remark ed MT. Woodbridge, red as beet. "I 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- 'teived 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 reason these girls have for com peting! After all, what's wrong in the idea? 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 riages without ceremony and marriage till the contracting parties are tired of each other, why not go step further and have marriages on examination?
 In the last set of examination pa pers MT. Woodbridge received all the questions were scratched and new Ollps inserted. The new ones were so word, ed as to constitute a virtual examina- t1on of the man. The lady inclosed the paper ill note stating that she considered the plan admirable, but the questions were all wrong If MT. Woodbridge considered his examina- ton satisfactory she would be happy . to marry him at once. She had a brand new idea of the marriage ceremony The couple were 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 not mean anything ,r~*
 Woodbridge burst into a laugh at this form of marriage. He wrote a reply to each one of the young ladies who had sent in papers stating that there had been reaction toward mod esty in him. He would do a bit Of cOurting with the winner. and if she accepted him the result of the exami- nation would be known by the an 'nouncement of his engagement with her. .. ..- ... ..i.
 This set the girls agog till one day it was announced that Alfred Wood bridge was engaged to be married to Miss Kate Goodwin
 Woodbridge gave his friends who had perpetrated the joke upon him a sup per as an acknowledgment of his grati tude for being Instrumental fin his se- curing so much happiness.