Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1917-03-27
A Woman
Halter
He Found That He Was
Unable to Withstand
the Sex

By A. Mitchell
Being left an orphan at the ago Of
fifteen years, I was adopted by a broth
er Of my mother who was q bachelor
and quite wealthy.
When I say that my uncle was q
woman hater, In justice to him must
state his reasons for being 80. He
had had twin brother whom he loved
better than he loved himself. They
were named Theodore and Edwin and
called for short Ted and Ned. Ted
was the one by whom I was adopted.
When Ned was twenty-five years old
he married, first making q stipulation
that his brother, Ted, should have
home with him and his wife. This
was agreed to by Mrs. Ned, who treat
ed Ted with as much sisterly affection
as If he were her own brother instead
Of Ned's.
But Mrs. Ned did not propose that
any one should interfere In the slight
est degree with her influence over her
husband She well knew the affection
between twins and determined that
Ned should throw OF his brothers In
fuence In favor of her own. The wed
ding ceremony over, she put into prac-
tice her plan for doing this.
As soon as the couple returned from
their wedding trip Ned sent for his
brother to settle himself In the new
tripartite home. Ted did so. but re-
mained there just one week. His sis-
ter-in-law intimated to her husband
that Ted had attempted to make love
to her. But lest Ted should convince
bis brother Of the falsity Of tho ac-
cusation she pledged Ned not to mem
ton the matter to him. She would not
for the world make trouble between
the twins. Let 1t pass. Perhaps 1t
would not occur again.
Ned yielded to his wife In the mat
ter, but Of course. turned the cold
shoulder to his brother. Ted, not
knowing the cause Of the coldness, but
feeling that his brothers house was NO
place for him, took himself elsewhere.
For ten years the brothers were
estranged. Then Ned died. His wife
had boasted to a friend how she had
secured the undivided affection Of her
husband, and that friend told Ted.
Ted had realized that his esrange-
ment from his brother had come
through his brothers wife, but was
unprepared for such q revelation.
What shocked him especially was that
woman should consider any such
means of gaining her husbands entire
submission legitimate and brilliant
move. From the time Of leaving his
brothers house Ted eschewed the so
ciety Of women, and when he learned
after his brothers death how that
brother had been made to condemn
him unjustly he became q woman
hater.
Such was the condition OF my uncle
when l went to live with him. had
not been long in his house when he
one day took me into his study and
said to me:
my boy, l think you are old enough
to understand what am about to say
to you. I possess a valuable property,
which propose to hand down through
you to others, who, it is. my intention,
shall be men. I shall make you my
heir, stipulating that you shall bind
yourself not to marry. In other words.
you will hold my estate In trust for
whomsoever you may decide to leave
1t, provided that person be a male.
In this way intend to keep any wo-
man from ever having any benefit Of
my fortune"
had not at this time been informed
Of my uncless opinion Of the softer
sex or the circumstances that had
made him a woman hater. I asked
him why he proposed to keep any wo-
man from enjoying his estate he
gave me q lectu b which I shall never
forget. Beginning with the belief Of
earlier races Of men that women do
not possess souls, he traced their grad.
ual rise till In modern times they have
usurped positions formerly occupied by
men. He predicted that they would
eventually dominate men, who would
possess the same relations toward
them as they had in ancient times held
toward men. He attributed this
change In the relative position Of men
and women to women being superior
to men in all forms Of duphcity. {
OF course was affected by this rea.
,soning. ;but not ysuficisntly, to. cause
me to shun girls. The young rather
love than fear danger. and the fact
that I was educated to believe that
the devil lurked In the bosom Of every
maid only rendered maids the more
attractive to me. I remember looking
at a beyy Of schoolgirls about fifteen
the age when woman Is, to my think-
ing, thing Of beauty II not Joy for
ever-and wondering II, indeed, they
had been born without souls. II they
were devils they were certainly very
attractive devils. Then ope day was
walking behind one Of these creatures.
who was carrying lot Of books. Sew
eral of the volumes sslipped through
her arms and fell on the pavement.
Perhaps, It was Satan that prompted
me to pick them up for her. At any
rate, l did So, and when she turned
q pair Of robins egg svesg up at me
and gave me smile felt a delicious
sensation steal over my whole being.
II the devil was In those lips was
ready to sell my soul to hims for one
Hiss. 4
have not room to tell how this girl
Alice was her ,name-a mere chit,
trampled under her ystiken ,slndaled
foot an the axioms that my uncle had
instilled into me. She might be dew
u, but to me the fact that this devil
vas incased In a very attractive body
made It all the moro acceptable to me-.
Now, this girl was really 4 devil.
and I am going to tell you how she
proved herself one.
When we came to that period IN .
courtship where Q couple can sit Bide
BY side from Z o'clock In the evening
till 8 in the morning I told Alice III
about my woman hating uncle. By.
this time he had given me q full &C
count Of how he had been ruined IN