The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-02-27
A NEW
MATRIMONIAL
SOCIETY
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

~ a man she sends a servant to his
house to pin a handkerchief to his hat
as an intimation Of her desire. Unless
he can show that he is too poor to
purchase her at the price her father
requires he is obliged to marry her.
Until the organization Of the Airing.
ton club for men there was no super.
fluffy Of spinsters W. bachelors in
q certain American town, but from
then on marriages began to fall of.
One of the most popular married wom-
en- called the maidens together and
organized an association for the ad-
vancement Of matrimony based on the
Indian-P Persian plan. The first young
lady to secure a husband by the meth
cd was invited to state before the as
sociation how it had worked in her
case. She arose and said:
"Mrs. President, I had long admired
Mr.. George LuddingtOn. who had paid
me some attention. and had it not been
for the organization Of the Arlington
club I believe he would have asked me
to be his wife. But that pestiferous
institution reduced him from an in
cipient lover to a vacillating hanger
on. Soon after the adoption Of the
plan which We are associated to carry
out l worked Mr.. Luddington's initials
on a fine cambria handkerchief and.
calling a messenger. told him to take
1t to the club at the hour l knew Mr..
Luddington dined there. obtain access
to the coat room and pin it to his hat.
"The messenger had no difficulty in
executing his commission. l did not
know for some time that Mr.. Ludding-
ton knew from whom the token came.
l have since learned that he knew very
we'll, and the action he took in the
matter was intended to brighten me
on. A few evenings after receiving
the handkerchief he called on me, and
l saw at a glance that he was or pre-
tended to be very irate.
"'What do you suppose has happen
ed to me? he asked brusquely.
81 can't imagine l replied meekly.
Gan association has been formed In
this town-so l understanding drive
us bachelors into matrimony. II 4
girl wishes to marry a man she sends
some one to pin a handkerchief to his
hat. Did you ever hear Of such i'm
modest impudenceT
"'Never in my life.'
"You must excuse me, ladies, for my
weakness, but he frightened me out Of
my wits.
...Nho do you suppose this person
lisp he growled. l.
"T can't imagine l replied.
"cDon't you think her very un-
ma1denly? he asked in a less threat.
ening tone, fof my agreeing with him
rendered him less sever to me.
"T certainly do. l wonder how she
could have had the face to do it!
II shrank into a corner Of q sofa, as
far away from him as l could get. He
sat down on the other end and looked
at me kind Of puzzled. He knew l had
sent him the handkerchief and couldn't
understand how l could condemn my
self for doing it. He looked very ter
rible. but not quite SO terrible as when
he first came. Then he began a sys-
TEN Of torture to find out what it all
meant.
1.-the handkerchief he said, was
very dainty, though the initials were
badly worked. They looked as If they
had been executed by some one with
fingers so big that they were only fit-
ted to work with q skewer.'
AT this l said nothing. l dared not
speak for fear Of betraying a tremolo
in my voice.
"If a girl he went on. had sent
me a gift without an immodest inten-
ton J. should have been deeply i'm
pressed with it. Quite likely l would
have been affected to the point of max
ing love to her and proposing mar
rage"
This statement was received with
cries of mol" Don't you believe IT,
They all talk that way. but they don't
propose" When the commotion sub,
sided the speaker went on with her re-
cital:
But for a girl deliberately to tell q
man she wants him to marry her. thus
usurping his privilege. there's nothing
she could do to so e~fectually turn
him
He got no further. l was full to
the top OF my throat. I made several
convulsive gulps and burst into a tor
rent Of tears.
II don't know what he was doing for
a few moments. for l held my hand
kerchief to my face. heard nothing.
but presently felt his arm around my
waist. Then he drew my head down
on his breast.
"Tf the fool killer comes this way
be said. with his lips pressed against
my cheek. he'll yank me out. certain
sure. Don't cry, little girl. Dear lit
tie girl. forgive me! I've loved you
ever since" -
Again there were cries Of unbelief.
"Oh. bosh!' "What q whopper" and
such like expressions Of disapproval'
whereupon the speaker Indignantly
turned her back on the assembly and
with her nos in the air marched ont
Of the room.