Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-12

CHAPTER
LNNEN that day at the altar when she
IL had solennly pledged her life to her
lover. Ruth Rowland had looked out
over the plains OF the future bindly
Even though she had far more common
sense than the average girl becauis rhe
Id attained II In Inc eY.,t,'c school
of experience. she stll regarded mar
riage as an end 20 things.
Perhaps some day there VIII be
women who think ahead, who plan for
marriage as man plans for business
/ career. lf the time ever comes, We
/ shall have "a race Of superwomen. hht
! that time is still a long distance away
| What are the thoughts that come 10
a woman as she stands up to be mar
ried? Very material thoughts for the
most part Chaos to- some extent. but
out OF the melee here and there
fragmentary thought that crystallizes
Into an idea. but never an idea for the
future, beyond the future Of an hour
Or day.
Ruth knew that she was being mar
ried to Scot Raymond. She was con-
scious of that fact to her very finger
tips. She knew and felt his nearness
as he stood there beside her as plainly
as though she touched him. she knew
that just behind her stood her mother
with Bobby, and that Scotts mother stood
just on the other side Of Scott in sim
pie but somehow expensive looking blue
hn farn
frils. All these little things Ruth was
conscious Of, in this the biggest moment
Of her life when she should have been
thinking about the solemnity OF the oc-
cason. Scotts father, who was almost
a stranger to- her. n tall. quiet man.
stood just behind her, and even with
just these few near and dear ones
witnessing the marriage. Ruth felt
strange, awkward, oppressed with some-
thing that she could not define, A
smothering sensation of being hcInmed
in with conventions envelCped her the
sense of freedom that she had felt dur
ing the few days before the wedding had
left her entirely, and If Scott hadn't been
standing there so tall and straight be-
Side her and If she hadn't known 50 well
that she loved him and that she wanted
TO be married to him. she would have
run away somewhere.
| RUTH mad 1elt TINS same sensation only
i'm not quite so personal a manner when
she had first realized that the war eX-
pected something from her. that she
could not ignore what was happening
over there. That had meant change.
just as this marriage meant change.
Was she afraid OF what would come
oh. no. surely not that Only Scott had
seemed strangely different when she had
arrived at the church and had found
} him there waiting for her. SO solemn
somehow, and SO weighted with respon-
sibilty. She had had to keep thinking
about other things so as not to feel
ried, and ii was too late TO. do anything
about II, even If she had wanted TO.
Everything was SO solemn. Was mar
riage then SO solemn? Wasn't 1t the
great adventure, wasn't 1t all joy and
expectation? She had thought all week
; of the fact that on Saturday she was
: going to be married, that she was going
to marry Scott. and in his arms. with
his lips seeking hers insistently, she
| had thrilled to that knowledge. Now she
: was afraid. If in that one panic-strick-
en- moment some one had stopped the
: 'pnarriage, she would have escaped, but
! bf course no one did. and the little Cere-
mony went on.
What really frightened Ruth most was
the fact that she was beggared of emo
! ton, she felt remote, very curious, but
there was no thrill about anything. The
minister reached for her hand and she
gave it to him. She saw the light catch