Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-06-14
A Knave and
a Fool
BY RUTH GRAHAM

age Wnen girl is thinking of mar
rlage-asked me to tell them some
thing about my girlhood. told them
OF an incident that had occurred to me
which l intended as lesson for them.
} This was the story:
When l was just your age. Alice.
met Ralph Loring at barn dance. He
mad recently come to our town, and not
only because he was a new adjunct,
but very popular one, a number Of
the girls set their caps for him
didn't, because I couldn't believe that
he'd consider me for a moment. Sarah
Baker made the first dash for him. AL
though he was attentive to me, she
made every effort to take him away
from me-
told Ralph that he'd better switch
OF from me and take her up, but he
said that he was nobodys property
and would do as he pleased. Whatever
was girls due he would scrupulously
observe, but that didn't mean that he
was not free to associate with whom
he pleased.
That was the beginning of it for me.
Ralph became more and more devoted
to me, and I think most of the girls
were glad of it, for if they couldn't
get him themselves they preferred that
I should have him rather than Sarah.
One of them warned me one day that
ia better look out for Sarah Baker;
that she was beside herself with rage
and jealousy and ready for anything
that would injure me. 1 thanked her
for her kindly feeling, but told her that
Sarah couldn't injure me with Ralph.
for he was too high minded to believe
anything against me without proof.
This was true, but Ralph was a man
OF great equanimity and good sense,
for that reason l couldn't see what
there was in me to please him-and
persons with good common sense them
selves are not apt to tie to those who
haven't it.
Well, Ralph proposed to me, and I
was not only delighted to have carried
off the prize, but was desperately in
love. Sarah Baker, after hearing of
our engagement, changed outwardly to-
ward me. She congratulated me, say
ing that of all the girls in town she
didn't know one more deserving than
1 to get the prize. And I, little fool
that was, believed her. 1 have never
since understood how I could have
been so easily taken in by her. The
truth is there are some persons who
oci1x
are not. I have always been ready to
believe in the sincerity of any one who
says nice things to me.
Sarah never let an opportunity pass
to do something for me. Gradually
she made me believe that I was too
good for any man, and once she let
slip remark that was too good for
Ralph. This troubled me. What did
she mean? Too good for Ralph. Didn't
that mean that Ralph was imperfect?
She had put an idea into my head,
and I couldn't get it out Later ask
ed her what she meant by the remark,
and she called me a poor dear innocent
and told me not to worry. I would
have no more trouble with Ralph when
married to him than other women had
with their husbands. No man was to
be trusted in certain respects.
That's the way Sarah prepared her
trap for me. She took her time and
advanced step by step. When all was
ready the blow fell.
1t came in the shape of an anOny-
nous letter, mailed from a neighbor-
ing town, purporting to have been writ
ten by girl who had been Tilted by
Ralph and warming me against him. I
nearly tainted on reading it. Maybe if
I had more time I might have recov-
cred sufficiently to avoid making a
Ounce Of myself But, unluckily, Ralph
rang the bell within half an hour after
l received it. I ran upstairs to my
room, and writing on the back of the
letter l had received, "All is over be-
tween u.s." sent it down to him.
Pretty soon I heard the front door
shut and from my window saw Ralph
walking away. He was walking de-
jectedly with a bowed head. This in
terpreted as an admission of guilt.
Indeed, were he innocent would he not
have asked me to come down and hear
his explanation?
That is the last ever saw Of Ralph
Loring. His action in not defending
himself and going away looking like
culprit confirmed me in believing that
the charge against him was true. But,
oh, how I suffered! 1t seemed at
times that I must recall him and take
him, guilty as he was. might have
done so. but he went away from the
town, I heard, to accept business po-
sition elsewhere.
Later a woman who was a mutual
friend Of Ralph's and mine came to see
me. She had the anonymous letter
with her and one from Ralph. He had
indorsed on the former, 81 prefer a
wicked woman to a fool, but am not
in love with either. This is great dis
apDOintment tO me-"