Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-11-15
Little Talks by
Beatrice FaHfdr
WHY WIDOWS FAsCINATE
BY BEATRICE FAIRFAX

What are the arts that. widows
employ to charm men?
| How is it that a bachelor can re-
sist the spring-like smiles and the
| dimpled innocence of a thousand in
! genues, only to surrender uncondi-
tionally to the first light, beckoning
glance from the widow who has
chosen him?
1t may be that there exists some
sceptic, ignorant of the world of
love and lovers, who will deny that
,1dows have such opportunity of
choice. But all the testimony of all
the ages is to the contrary. And in
this respect, at least, l think that
men-and widows-haven't changed.
It's only a few days, ago that
letter came to me from a young
widow whose pen-name is Per
picked" And her situation is truly
one that warrants perplexity. After
explaining that she is twenty years
old and that her husband died two
weeks after their marriage, she
writes:
Il am now deeply in love with
| four men. One is two years my
senior, the next is twenty years my
senior, the third is one year my
! junior, and the last is fourteen
years older than l. They all have
asked me to marry them. The first
is an accountant, the next is a
banker, the third a soldier and the
last manufacturer.
will you please advise me what
to do?"
Now there is no way of knowing
what bewitchments this young
woman exercises, in addition to be-
ing a widow. She may be more
beautiful than Helen of Troy, her
charm may be no less intoxicating
than Cleopatras. But l don't for
moment believe this. l think of
her as a sweet, good looking girl
who has simply the enormous ad-
vantage of understanding men bet
ter than unmarried Eighteen who
lives next door to her.
So that because of this important
difference between them. Unmarried
Eighteen, who may have a much
Ilovelier face and a more sparkling
intelligence, is not likely ever to
have to consider the proposals of
more than one suitor at a time
while Widowed Twenty, with four
patient, faithful lovers, standing
in . row, so to speak, outside her
door, has merely to decide on the
one that suits her best.
1t doesn't seem fair. If married
girls feel jealousy of widows. l
think they are to be forgiven. One
isn't, or one shouldn't be, jealous
of wit or beauty or goodness in other
girls. Their advantage is natural and
! legitimate. When nature has been
| lavishly generous to a girl, il is a
matter of course that men should
pay her tribute. But to be loved, and
loved by ,multitudes, just because
one has already been married doesn't
seem reasonable. There's something
mysterious about it that one re-
sents little.
Mems Own Testimony
In order to get as nearly as pos
sible to the heart of this mystery,
l have consulted, not widows Them
selves, who mightn't know or
mightn't tell me, but men, the be-
witched and captive.
And so far as they can explain
their own bewitchment,s the truth
seems to be that men first seek the
company of widows, that is, of
reasonably attractive ones, because
they feel more comfortable and at
ease with them than with unmar-
ried girls.
In spite of all the warnings that
have been shouted to the four cor
ners of the earth about these Sc
ductive creatures, men actually lily
to them with a sense of seeking
safety, and recklessly. drop all their
defense on the way. This of course,
4 seems very puzzlinS.
You see, normal men need the So
ciety of women. Usually, they know
J that they need 1t. But they are not
always willing to appear in the
| character of suitor or possible
husband, and they suspect all un-.
married girls of looking at men in
that light. ~
But a widowl-here, at least they
say to themselves, is "a woman who
iisn't husband hunting. She's had her
husband. She's safe. So, being COM
pletely off their guard, they stumble
into love a hundred times more
| quickly and more desperately than
! If young, untried girl had Inspired
| the emotion. A
| But not all men who court wild