The Washington herald., 1920-04-13
By MAYME oBER PEAK.

BY MAYME OBEH PEAR
When Florence Killing. now Mra
Warren G. Harding, wife OF the
Ohio Senator, who IL Republican
candidate for President, was born,
there was great disappointment In
the King family because she wasn't
a boy.
Her father, Amos II. King. .
prominent business man and banker
Of Marion. Ohio. took 1t much to
heart for awhile. and then he de-
cided to get even with nature and
make her a boy. So well did he
succeed, although two sons camc
along in due time. neither one ever
cared half as much for horses. dogs
and animal and outdoor life as
their sister, Florence, nor had her
business capacity.
The King boys inherited the tall
ents Of their maternal grandmother.
French woman and an accom-
plished musician, while their sister
who couldn't play a tune without
the most laborious practice, took
after her. practical grandfather, q
Pennsylvania Dutchman.
Adept at Business.
From babyhood she knew more
about business than she did about
nursery rhymes, and nothing
pleased her more than to be taken
to her fathers office, where she
would sit quietly for hours, fasci-
mated by the banks activities and
her fathers transactions with his
clients.
She developed an unusual bust.
a..
when she had to leave school on
sight, Florence Killing became her
fathers chief director and pal. She
rode horseback with dad" trav-
eled about with him and made up
to him In every way she could the
loss Of her mothers companionship.
as Mrs. Killing was more or less OF
an invalid. and cared very little
about outdoor life.
Aside from the fact that she really
loved business. the determination OF
Amos Killing to give his daughter
a thorough business training was
largely influenced by the financial
loss to women, through lack OF
foresight on their husbands part
and ignorance on their own. which
he had discovered in settling up
widows estates.
Met Husband at Dance.
He made up his mind that Flor
ence should not only be we'll pro-
vided for, but would know how to
take care Of her substance, and he
instilled in her the sort of business
skill that, afterwards, strange to
relate, proved a stronghold against
h,k a..
space of time the thing he held
most dear.
Miss Killing was popular and at
tractive. What she had los in books
she more than made up in travel
and experience, and she not only
held her own wherever she went,
but was much sought after. Natu-
rally. her family was ambitious,
for this only daughter and heiress
to the King wealth although Amos
Killing didn't think there was a man
living who was good enough for
her.
One night at a dance Florence
Killing met one that she thought
was a young newspaper man named
Warren G. Harding, who had just
come to Marion and established the
Daily Star. Maybe established" is
too strong a word to use there,
however. when / recall what I heard
about the frequent VISITS of the
sheriff before that paper got a good
start. so perhaps venture is a bet
ter substitute.
Published Newspaper.
But II didn't even look like a
promising venture to Mr.. Killing.
when he woke up 70 the fart that
this young newspaper upstart had
taken a shine to his daughter and
was a frequent visitor at the King
home. He questioned his daughter,
who acknowledged a deep interest
in the young man's-grit-nothin
more.
The friendship grew apace, how
ever, as the literary stylists say,
and SO did Florence Kings interest.
gram. The meeting will he held in