The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-04-03
81 WILL BE HAPPY! ! WILL!
WILL"

| Today we were married
have said these words over and
lover to myself, and now 1 have writ
ten them, and the written characters
seem as strange to me as the uttered
words did.
/ I cannot believe that /, Margaret
ISpencer, 81 years old, who have laugh
led and sneered at marriage. jusufylng
tmyself by the tragedies and unhappl-
lness of scores of my friends, L VINO
Ihave made for myself place In the
worlds work with an assured comfort
liable income, have suddenly thrown all
NV theories to the winds and given
myself in marriage in as impetuous,
lunreasoning fashion as any foohsh
schoolgirl.
/ shall have to change a word In
that last paragraph. l forgot that
! am no longer Margaret Spencer, but
Margaret Graham, Mrs. Richard era
ham, or. more probably, Mrs. "D1cky
lGraham. I don't believe anybody IN
the world ever called Richard any
| thing but "Dicky.
/ On the other hand, nobody but Rich
ard ever called me anything shorter
than my own diginified name. l have
ibeen .eMadge" to him almost ever since
I knew him.
IL
dred years / could not express the dif-
ference between us in any better fash
lion. He is "Dicky'' and 1 am Mar
garet"
/ He is downstairs now in the smok-
ling room, impatiently humoring TINS
lifelong habit of mine to have one hour
of the day all to myself
NV mother taught me that when l
was a tiny girl. My thing hour" she
calls it, a time when l solved my small
problems or pondered my baby sins.
i All my life I have kept up the prac-
itice. And now 1 am going to devote
lit to another request OF the httie
tmother who went away from me for
ever last year.
"Marraret. darling" she said to me
on the last day we ever talked to-
!gether. sometime you are gong TO
Imarry-you do not think so now put
YOU willard how I wish 1 had time
to warn you of all the hidden rocks
lin vour course! If 1 only had kept a
record of those days of my own I'M
happiness, you might learn 10 aVoiu
the wretchedness that was mine
Promise me that If you marry you VIII
write down the problems that con-
tfront you and your soIutloh Oh tieiii'
SO that when your own baby girl comes
to Won and grows into womanhood she
may be helped by your experience.
| Poor little mother! Her marriage
with my father had been one OF those
wretched tragedies, the knowledge OF
which frightens so many people away
from, the altar. I have no memory OF
Inv father. do not know TO-DAY
whether he is living or dead Wnen
was 4 years old he ran away Win the
woman who had been my moIneI
most intimate friend. All my HE mas
fheen warped by the knowledge Even
now. worshipping Dicky as DO ann
wondering as 1 sit here, ooeying my
mothers last request, whether or NOT
Ian experience like hers VIII come u
me-
A fine augury for our happiness
when such thoughts as this can come
ti.o me on my wedding day.
Dicky is an artist, with all the Iaui.s
iand ALI the 1ovable virtues or ms kihd
| week ago / was teacher, hoioihs
ono of the most desirable posiuons IN
~ c;tv schools We met just SIX
inopths ago. two OF the most unsuieeo
ineonIe who could be thrown together
And now We are married. Next Week
we begin housekeeping in dear h1tie
/ Aapartment near Dicks studio
Dick has insisted that / give UP mE
work and against all my convictions
I have yielded TO his wishes But on
my part have stipulated that 1 must