Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-22

drag on their weary lengths for ten,
fifteen, even twenty years?
There's always something wrong
in such a case. the rest of the world
maintains. Somebody is to be
| blamed. And instinctively we blame
the man. We blame his selfshness,
his tmidity, his prudence.
But is that the only way to look
at it?
You know how romantic an at
tachment of months duration
seems to families. friends, neigh
bors. You're familiar with the en-
thusiasm. almost the ecstacy, with
which the circle of privileged on
lockers regard a youthful pair who
never saw each other until few
weeks ago and who expect TO be
married in three months. Their in
terest is so headlong that they seem
almost to be part of the love affair
The brisk moment of the thing
the swiftly approaching climax. is
enthralling to the spectators, as it is
| to the lovers themselves
But haven't YOU noticed how this
! interest wanes if marriages. per-
| haps even any mention of marriage
| is deferred for several years?
It's romantic and thrilling to
! love at first sight"-to marry in
| haste"
| But somehow the romance oozes
out of situation that seems to
have come to a standstill. Oulook-
| ers get tired and bored, and the
1 lovers themselves, having lost the
sympathy of their community, begin
to seem queer" If not actually a
little ridiculous.
If you've ever lived in a village.
you're sure to have seen at least
one conspicuous case of this kind
A faded, middle-aged Martha, who
mas spent half a lifetime in wonder
ing whether or not she was really
engaged TO taciturn Henry, bald
headed now, and more than a little
stout. who plainly prefers her TO
any other woman-and who stops
at that
Wednesday and Sunday are
Henry's nights" as they have been
Tor years. Henry comes promptly
on those evenings, and he brings
MS troubles with him, for he
knows he can count on Martha's
sympathy. So night after night
Martha listens to tales of Mothers
rheumatism and the way the kitch-
EN- stove smokes. as though she had
an actual daughterly share IN these
homely burdens.
But she hasn't. And probably she
never Will have. And they'll both
die with lives unfulhlIed.
But 1T isn't only in villages that
you'll encounter dreary near ro
mances of this order. Man and
women of this type can be found
anywhere. It's only a few days
ago mat a letter came to me from
the highly indignant friend of a
young woman who for years had
spent her love on promise -dodging,
marriage-fearing. basely self-pro-
tecllNe type of man. She writes:
A Twelvc-Year Courtship
A young lady friend of mine has
peen keeping company with a gem
ueman for twelve or thirteen years,
ana while he's never made any
promises of marriage. l claim iii
tnere was a grain of manliness in
him he'd marry the girl. instead of
casting her aside with no other ex-
cuse to offer save that he wants to
be free.
she's very fine GIRL towering
TAR above that devil in every re-
spect put foolish enough to let this
disappointment kill all that is beau
tlIul IN her. / keep telling her ii is
az " be dI Ine END with the
cad' instead of worrying and CRYING
over the loss of him. But all the
auVlce her family and friends offer
fort" 'oii-
II typical situation. this con-
nict between sweet-natured. ten
uernearted woman. with n big ca
phcIty Tor loving, and a man who
prefers the little thing he calls his
Ireedom to the deep realities of
lie. And the man wins and the wo-
man suffers, and. the world scolds
It's pretty nearly a tragedy when
d woman whose urge is 10 take the
great plunge into life itself finds
that she must abide by the cool
ana canny decision of a man who
wants liberty to pursue his neat.
trivial bachelor habits a good deal
more than he wants the supreme
adventure of life.
It's tragic. that is. If n woman
taxes 1t in the tragic way. as
women usually have taken it. AS
the girl described in this letter