Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1916-01-21
A Matrimonial
League
By SARAH BAXTER

Mansfield to four other young ladies |
who were slipping afternoon tea with
her, that ii something is not done,
and that, too, pretty soon, we're al
booked for old maids. No young men
come to this town, and those who are
here are leaving. There are still left
enough of them to provide us win
husbands. but they have grown up be-
side us, with nothing occurring to
make them matrimonially inclined to-
ward us. Those men who have mar
ried have chosen wives elsewhere. 1t
provokes me to see some girl with
neither brains nor beauty brought back
here by one of our fellows simply be-
cause she was new to him."
mo such thing, Clara" put in Mar
garet Stark. THE reason why girls
from other places are getting the fell
lows away from us is that they go for
them, while we sit here idly sucking
our thumbs. But you are right when
you say something must be done or we
shall all be old maids"
i've heard of a custom somewhere"
said Dora Elkins, that gives the adj
vantage to the girl. If woman wants
q man she paints a red heart on one
of her visiting cards and pins it on to
the coat or the hat or something of the
man she wants. Now, how would ii
do for us to form a league of heart
Primers, each girl member pledged to
pin heart to some MANI"
"Horribley' exclaimed Lucy Jones,
throwing her eyes and her hands up
at the ceiling.
Better than everlasting spinster-
hood" said Evelyn Treborne.
| The upshot of the dialogue was the
formation of the league proposed. each
girl making the pledge, though it was
decided to leave out the card of the
one pinning OH the heart. Modesty
would not stand this. Besides, an anon.
ymous heart would excite curiosity.
But the intent of the token was per-
mitted to reach the young men who
were to be the victims. Miss Mans
field had q brother who was wanted
by one of the young ladies-which one
she was not told-and she volunteered
to give him the notice.
One night the league was discussed
at the club by the young men. Every
man claimed that the idea was pre-
posterous and that if he received a
heart he would pay no attention to it.
But there was not u man jack of them
but feared he would not receive one.
The next evening when the men stray
ed in at the club Jim Mansfield con-
fessed that he had found a heart pin,
ned to his hat when he took it up to
go out in the morning. He said that
the lady could send him dozen hearts
if she liked; she would get no reply
from him. At the same time he was
racking his brain for plan to find out
which girl had sent him the heart.
The next day StevensOn's attention
was called to a red heart pinned to
his coattail. How it got there he did
not know. but supposed it had been
placed there by a small boy hired to
do the job. The same evening there
was a small social gathering at the
house of one Of the league, and two
other men on going to the coat room
found hearts pinned to their Overcoats
One of these men when about to put
on his hat found another heart in the
lining.
Alas, this was the cankerworm thai
was destined to spoil an excellent plan
Ned SOmers, who was blessed-OI
cursed-with two hearts at his disposal
instead of keeping the fact to himself
/ | kO1 . 4 90 Irfc "A
excited the spleen of Arthur BEEN
who received no heart ut all.
AS for the girls. the apple of discor(
was also thrown among them. ThC
two girls who had set their hearts oil
the same man each began a secret in
quiry as to who her rival was Neithe
was long In gaining the required in
formation, and soon after the discov
cry they were not on speaking terms
Evelyn Treborne had sent a heart t,
Andy Skinner. which he surmised cam
from Jenny Brown. He accused Mis-
Brown. who Indignantly denied TIL
charge. She spoke disparagingly 0
Skinner to Margaret Stark. who hat
sent him the heart, and this made
break between the two girls. Within
week after the establishment Of tn
league there were half dozen quar-
rels between the different persons send
ing and receiving hearts, includin
some of the men who had not bee
/ hOnored by being wanted.
Il Then came Trimmingham, a stran
ger. to the place. and, hearing Of til
league and having secured the name
of the members. he wrote each one
note stating that he had received
red heart; that she was the only gil
In the world he wanted, and IL th
heart came from, her he had one I
give in exchange.
For few days after this every men
Der of the league was in futter. Fiv
notes went out to Trimmingham frOI
FIVE different girls, each acknowledl
ing that she had sent him a hear
Then two girls compared notes, an
there were two expressions.
"Well, | declareP'
THE hOrrid thingr'
That led to more comparisons. IN
the league was broken up.
Meanwhile Trimmingham had lei
for nnrtc unknnwn And II was we