The Wahpeton times., 1917-12-06
One Of Her
Irons in the Fire
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union
By ETHEL HOLMES.

There is nothing of the strong woman
about me. 1 naturally cling to some.
thing stronger than myself; am one
Of those stupid creatures whom men
usually prefer to women more like
themselves. Why they do so am
unable to understand.
was very fond of Charlie Owens
but Charlie was not much to cling
to, and though he loved me I was un-
willing to marry him because feared
that poverty would fly in ut the door
and ut the same time love would tly
out at the window.
If was stupid I had sense enough
1 to turn Charlie down. But there my
sense ended. I was bound to find
someone to cling to, and since l knew
no man who wanted me or wanted. l
resorted to IN advertisement. Not that
l condemn advertising, for 1 don't
/ know anything about it, hut advcr,is.
ing for husband or Il Wife is not llS,,.
ally resorted to by persons of good
sense.
l received two replies, one from a
co'lntryman evidently not highly cl,l.
Gated and another from Il person who
| by his chirography. English and rvi.
dent delicacy l judged to be Il gentle.
man. He signed himself Emory Per.
kins. He said he knew by the tcnor
of my advertisement that l was Il lady
that he was locking for Wife. ami
saw no reason why he should not tind
one through the medium of Il nrws.
paper than any other article lie
wanted.
/ Mr.. Perkins and I fell into quite q
correspondence. He did not seem tc
he in Il hurry 10 meet me: saying ,l.a,
he WAS expecting every day to make :;
! lot of money. 1t would he time rnnuLl'
to meet m" when he could offer ,nr y
home. This looked q little rs il he
were one of those men With "irnn% ir
the fire." but he was too honorable,
to proceed with his suit until he ,nu'J
make me comfortable so did MOI ..rog
| him. Besides, his letters were ti, ..ht.
| full.
| This was in the third year of The ho
war and congress had voted ,"r9t
sum for aviation. All the iMv";t' n!~ iN
| the United States We're trying tn add
| some improvement to tie air r,nt'linc
| model which WAS to be copied in large
| numbers. One morning ! read in {"
newspaper that someone had prndi!rrt
| a substance very light and MOI im;';'il
mable, which wnS being tested us ma
| terial for certain parts of the govern.
mert airplane.
In a letter to him I inclosrd III" ar.
ticle and iocoscly accused him rf being
! the inventor referred To. II" rrplic1
| iocosely. asking me how I has! learned
his secret.
AT this time Charlie Owens came &c
see me very seldom. This piqu",i me-
t-t'nr day on meeting him ON he street
/ asked him why he did not come IL
see me amy oftcncr. He said ila' hc
WAS very busy. Ono of the irons !ae
had in the fire WIS looming up IL.
was not sure but that he WAS about
tn make fortune. If he did lir would
have plenty of time Ia sp":,h "i'h me.
| laughed ut him, calling him Johnny
i.nok-in-thn-Air. lie rctoricd That il
was better to look up than Ia look
down and hurried on.
I was beginning to despair of getting
a husband and about to make np my
mind to advertise for position ia
which I could make my living by my
own eXertionS. when suddenly "a" gitil
alton WAS completely altered. | say in
q newspaper the aanouncclnof!l hnt
the standard model for the ai"nin"S
to be constructed for the government
had been decided upon and c"iltr1rts
for hundreds OF thousands had been
let.
"Well." remarked, "I dare say s"lne
into gold"
Scarcely had I spoken the words
when there was q ring at the tlnorb",l
and the postman handed in the mail.
| One of the letters was from my matri-
monial correspondent. opened il and
read:
"a matter of business which have
had on hand for some tine-an
iron in the fire" I mutrrrr1 Ia my
sclf-'has materialiZed, and in case,
after meeting. we are suited with each
other, 1 am in a position 10 offer %ou
a home. I therefore beg that you will
grant me an interview
caught my breath. Not that was
about to come face to face with
wooer I had never seen I drew back.
All of a sudden it rushed upon me that
l was about to give up the only man
| loved. l hesita1ed. in case we should
not be antasonistic between this man
who was able to provide for me and
Charlie Owens, who was always look
ing in the air for fortune.
Common sense prevailed o"cr love.
l made an appointment for the next
evening to receive my probicmatical
WOOer
When the doorbell rang sharply at
the appointed time. it sent tremor
through me; then a ,footstep in the
hall, and Charlie Owens stood in the
doorway.
Sweetheart" he said. zone of my
irons in the fire has brought me for
tune. My airplane material is sue
cess. I shall reap a million; will you
share II with moo"