The Oakley herald. [volume] (Oakley, Idaho) 1908-1961, 1916-11-24
SOPHIE ADvERTISES
BY MARIE WILLIS MILLER.

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was, for no one ever paid enough at
tention to her for that. Her father
was retired farmer. and she was the
only child of q second marriage, born
when her father and mother were both
advanced in life. They lived in a little
Kentucky town, and were the kind y0u
call good, substantial people," but
never invited any place.
A little Kentucky town is the incest
place in the world to live when you
are between sixteen and twenty. There
are dances and moonlight picnics at
the springs, and parties and lots of
visitors, but Sophie merely heard of
these.
After she was graduated from high
school, she went to the Cincinnati con-
servatory for the summer term. Then
she came home to teach music, and be-
cause, she played the organ at church
she got some pupils from that congre-
CATION.
The year she was twenty-nine her
father and mother both died. For six
months she lived alone, with no one
Dul lHc Olu GU NIeu COOK 10 Dt utilT
her. But at the end of the six months
Sophie appeared in a new spring suit.
1t wasn't an extreme suit, and it was
dark blue, but it had big white col
lar and style was written all over it.
A few days later she again wore the
suit, and this time she was wearing a
huge corsage Of Ward roses and vlo-
lets. And everyone saw Sophie.
Curiosity plays big part in our
social relations. People who had bare
ly spoken to Sophie now began to talk
to her. And about her they talked
even more.
Letters came to her, always by spe-
cial delivery. The postmistress told
this. Yes, a mans writing, and the
letterheads of Louisville paper.
They knew about the letters Sophie
received, but it was just as well that
they didn't know about the ones she
sent. Several weeks before she had
written the first and hardest one. 1t
was to the advertising manager of the
Louisville paper, and she sent it be-
cause she had read some talks on
Advertising" The talk said that you
could get anything you wanted If you
advertise. 1t was most convincing, so
she wrote to the advertising manager.
Dear Sir: have read your talks
on Advertising and want you to help
me. want man, good-looking, well
educated, to come to Enfield to see
me. l am twenty-nine years of age,
and neither pretty nor attractive or /
wouldn't have to advertise. There Is
no object matrimony' to it, for hon.
estly don't want to marry. do want
to be rushed, sent candy and flowers,
and all the rest of it, even If l have
to pay for it all.
II have lived here in Enfield all my
life, and no one has ever noticed me.
What l want is to make them think
that someone is interested in me. And
he must be man they will notice and
wonder what he sees in me. / will
pay all expenses and whatever salary
seems fair. 1t will not be easy for the
man, for am not at all interesting.
81 prefer big man, with dark hair.
And corsage of Ward roses and vio-
lets and Sweetman's candy.
Sophie BROWN"
The man who read the letter was
interested, in spite, or perhaps because
of the frankness of Sophie's statement
that she was not at all interesting. He
was going to take his vacation in two
weeks anyhow and he might as well
go down to Enfield and talk to the
woman. 1t would make a good story
some day.
Sophie, in the new suit, curled hair
and new corsage, met him. OF course
he knew her by the corsage, and she
wasn't at all like he expected. She
wasn't ugly, and her clothes were in
good taste and she wore them we'll.
The indefinite look had gone, and 80
a stranger Sophie was rather attfac-
tive-looking girl-that is, to a stranger
who had pictured her as much older
looking and decidedly ugly.
To reach Sophies home it was nee
essary to go through the main part of
town. In a few hours all the people
who had talked about her changed APP
pearance knew that man had come.
He had come to stay two days. He
stayed a week, and then stopped by
again for a day on his way back from
his fishing trip.
Sophie understood there was nothing
personal in the affair. She was happy
in the sensation she had created, in the
aroused interest of the town. She
didn't want to marry him; he was
sure of that. But the night before he
left he asked her to be his wife.
"Oh, you've made it perfect" she
said. 81 don't want to marry you, but
it is like all the parties-I wanted you
to ask me! I'll remember it always,
and be glad. And l want you to be
glad, too, that you have made me so
happy"
Sophie went back to teaching music.
But she doesn't practice as much, and
she plays rag. She gets popular mu-
sic every few weeks from Louisville,
so the postmlstress says. She doesn't
have as much time to practice, for she