The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-06-25
:ADesperate
Remedy
II Was Applied to Two Pa
tents and Was Successful
By F. A. mitchell
BY F. A. mitchell

| JOnn, said my eSpeclal Irlenu, MIS-
Edith Allison, 81 am very sorry to see
you neglecting the most important
matter in a mans or a woman's life.
Some day, when you are an old man,
tired of the social life, tired Of your
club, forced In the evening to go out
to seek the companionship Of persons
whom you care little about, and many
Of whom care less for you; when you
return to your lonely bachelor quar-
tiers, with no one to welcome you, to
pass a night alone, you will regret
having wasted years Of opportunity
to provide yourself with a home"
"What horrible picture"
1.-THE picture is not half as horrible
as the reality"
Marriage is an awful risk"
"a risk, yes; the other is a GER
tainty."
"But I can't compel myself to love
any woman nor any woman to love
me-"
"That Is where we I'm America err on
the side Of romance. Abroad the prin-
cipal feature in wedlock is the dowry;
here it Is what we call love. A dowry
is tangible; love Is intangible. Far be
1t from me to decry a pure affection,
| but that emotional condition, which in
men and women Is one minute ecstatic
and the next may turn to hate, or later
| to Indifference, is no basis on which
to make a life contract binding two
| persons together"
"Would you have me go into room
blindfolded where there are number
of unmarried women, take one of them
| by the hand and lead her to the ALTAR"
"You might as we'll do that as take
partner while blinded by love. You
don't need to do either. One thing you
can do that Is reasonable in choosing
wife. If you take any one into your
employ you require references, don't
your"
Certainly"
every we'll Why should you not all
the more require references in taking
WHERE'S,
"And the wife, presume. should re-
Qulre references Of me?"
Certainly"
'Tt seems to me-" replied after
some hesitation, that your idea would
only serve to keep me and the woman
might marry still farther apart"
mot II it is properly carried out"
What was Edith driving at? l con-
fess could not make out That she
was a woman of great originality I
knew. That she was my devoted
friend did not doubt. She had eau
toned me before this against waiting
till was an old man before marry
ing, and suspected that she now had
some plan for me. l wondered II she
was not bent on making a match be-
tween me and some young woman
who, like myself, was growing out Of
her youth and should be mated.
"Come, Edith" said; tout with 1t.
You're bent on marrying me of. What
is your plan?"
She paused a few moments before
replying; then she put down some fan
cy work she was doing and. looking
me straight In the eye, said:
desperate cases require desperate
remedies"
Granted"
"It would do no good for me to In
troduce you to a woman who believed
would make you a good wife,"
81 should probably spurn her."
"Nor would 1t avail to introduce such
woman to you, assuring her that she
would be happy with you"
"She would wonder IL you thought
her bereft Of any taste whatever"
81 have woman in mind and have
had just such conversation with her
as l have had with you"
"The dickens you havev'
Eyes, and she admits that any man
introduced to her for the purpose of
making a match would repel her."
81 see; you are going to throw us to-
gether without our knowing of your
design"
Nonsense. That threadbare theme
of novelists might do for very young
persons. You and the woman l have
In mind are too old. The only way by
which you can be united is for both
to place the matter in the hands Of a
third party"
"As in Turkey, where the parents
arrange matches for their children and
the groom never sees the brides face
till he lifts her veil after they are
married.
"You have stated the case exactly"
every well. to cease generalizing and
come down to definite plan"
'The lady whom have assured that
you will make her good husband has
consented to leave the whole matter to
me. My plan requires that you do the
same. Do you consent"'
"How can consent to what I don't
known
"You are both being assured by me
that neither will make a mistake-to
turn the key of wedlock on yourselves
without having seen each other"
Great heavensr'
'1s 1t not done every day in Turkey?"
"Go on"
you are to be married without any
previous acquaintance not having seen
each other till you stand before the
clergyman who marries you. At the
conclusion Of the ceremony you are to
separate for a week. at the end of