The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-03-27
A Case of
Worldly Wisdom
By EFFlE D.

When Miss Mabel Willmarth wrote
her lover. Edward Auchinkloss. that I'M
der her parents orders she must break
with him he was very badly cut up.
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 avcrse to breaking
with him as he was to breaking with
her. but he also found her rcsOlute in
her determination to obey her mother.
Father and mother" she said, have
only me. II l 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
kioN t'ECtLiNh. hACoPSNbNS W "'J y
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. l suppose / shall
Forget mc?"
81 don't know. 1t doesn't seem to
me now that l 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 l wish you to tell me: has
not your mother some one in view Tor
YOU who she thinks will be able to
give you moro than 1"
willy do you ask that question!
.Eecause until very recently both
she and your father seemed TO be wen
satisfied with me for u son-in-law.'
Mother especially enjoined me to
saw nothing to you about any future
relations between me and any one else.
She saws that. having broken with you.
YOU are not supposed to take ANY tur-
Their interest in me. Surely you can-
not be expected to approve OF any maj
that shell mean I-might marry"
Right again-that is. If your sell
tence had been finished as you began
It. You should have finished that she
might select Nevertheless 1t Is EVIL
dent that some one has been selected
for you. and naturally I am especially
anxious to know who the fellow is"
1.-THE fellowY'
''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 he should write
q number Of names on a bat OF paper
10 tell him whether the name he wish
ed TO know was on the list. Since the
mar was a newcomer and she did not
believe Auchinkloss had ever seen OF
heard of him, she consented. He wrote
twenty names on the paper and hand
ed it to her. She handed it back to
him with n 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
meet him on the street. This was SUI
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-
cidcd that he might not pay their
daughter any attention whatever till
she had passed her eighteenth birth
day. Then the couple might be ell
gagged. but for a year before marriage.
Such an arrangement prevented any
ore from linking the two names to-
gethcr.
Four months passed between the
time Auchinkloss was discarded and
Mabel's eighteenth birthday. The lat
ter had passed and the engagement
had been made. though not announced.
when the new a%ppointee was arrested
one day on a charge OF giving a check
Oh q bank where he had no account
Other claims against him followed the
first, and it was not long before q pref
~ black record came to light. The
engagement between him and Mabel
was broken without any one outside
the family knowing that 1t had &C.
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 rs to the
one who would take my place? We'll.
that prejudice served a purpose. 1t
was ! who unearthed your new lover"
"You? Why, you didn't know his
name"
Il did. His name was the only name
L -,..