Connecticut western news., 1917-08-16
My Guardian By RUTH GRAHAM

] Mother died when was still girl 1 1 think I had just turned seventeen. During her last illness she worried great deal as to what was to become of me after being deprived of her care. q wish you were few years older" she said to me one day, 'I would pick out husband for you. Then there would be no need for me to be anxious about your future"
 Would you expect me to marry a
 man without love, motherY
 q should rely on his good qualities | to win your confidence and respect, which would be better than romantic
 attachment Certainly it would be
 more enduring"
 Mother had often told me that she
 had been engaged before she married
 my father, but gave me nothing more
 than the bare fact often wondered
 why she had not married this person
 instead of father. knew that he was
 several years younger than she, and
 since a woman prefers a man older
 than herself I fancied that this might
 be the reason of her breaking her first
 engagement.
 When mother died and her will was
 opened learned that her property had
 been left to a certain Horace Ogilvie
 in trust for me till should reach the
 age of twenty-one, when it was to be
 paid to me. My guardian was to have
 the legal care of me during my minori-
 ty, to provide a home for me and di-
 rect my education. I remember that
 few days after the opening of the
 will very pleasant looking gentleman
 about thirty-tive years old came to see
 me and announced himself as my
 guardian. He told me that he lived
 with his mother in another city and 1
 was to go with him and make my home
 with them.
 He seemed to take such kindly in.
 terest in me and was so sympathetic
 with me in my bereaved condition that
 felt greatly comforted. I accompa-
 nied him to his home, where I was re.
 ceived by his mother, an old lady who
 was as cordial as if were her own.
 During this first day I spent with
 my guardian I constantly found him
 looking at me with a very singular ex-
 pression. It was as though I was con-
 nected with something beyond myself. I faneied that there was tenderness in his gaze. Could it be that he felt that ] he was placed toward me in the posi- tion of a father? I certainly did not have for him, corresponding feeling. !. thought him very interesting man. . Why my mother had appointed him
 my guardian I did not know, and l
 was not informed. Somehow since nei-
 ther he nor his mother said anything
 about the matter l rather shruuk from asking. Mrs. Ogilvie took entlra charge or me, and 1 soon came to look upon her as my second mother Mir Ogilvie from the day be assumed my
 legal guardianship treated me with certain reserve, which I did not relish. wished that he would not keep barrier constantly between him and } me. At twenty I left school and was } certainly not the half child, half wom- an, that had been when I came to live in my second home.
 The difference between a man of thirty-eight and a woman of twenty Is not what it is between a man of { tIirty-five and girl of seventeen. When I came home from school for the last time my relations with my guardian had changed. His treatment of me was more reserved than ever. l had no acquaintaDces among young ! men near my own age, and this seemed ! to trouble him. He. hunted up several { youngsters and brought them to tho house for my companionship. They . seemed very boyish to me.
 .. One day one of these youngsters in- .. vited me to go to play with him that evening. Mir. Ogilvie came home to . dinner tired and Respondent about , something that had gone wrong during the day His mother suggested that ; Ea go to some place of amusement He 5 demurred on the ground that it would 5 not benefit him to go alone.
 ! "Why not take meT' suggested. ! "I thought that you had an engage z ment," was his reply.
 : "I'll break it."
 P He looked at me, surprised, and said ! he would not have me do that on any $ account.
 t I assured him that preferred to go t with him, but could not make him un- derstand that would choose to spend | an evening in company with an old fellow like himself to a young man near my own age.
 Half an hour afterward I received ; two tickets with note from the donor stating that he was unavoidably pre- : vented from escorting me to the thea