The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-02-08
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY Z. HOUSE
(Fton Philadelphia Publie Lsdgss)
A Letter to Adelaide.

Somewhere Out West
My Dear Adelaide:
If you had any conception of the an
noyance and embarrassment to which
you are putting me, think you would
come home. You are always warn
ing me not to make myself too con-
spicuous and saying I talk too much
about myself and try to show off be-
fore the ladies, and it may be that
do But you are making me great
deal more conspicuous than I have
ever been able to make myself, and
while enjoy publicity and am always
looking for 1t, I do not care a great
deal about the advertising i am get
ting now. Every time meet anybody
We know, whoever 1t is, asks me,
We'll, has Mrs. CASTOR returned yet
And when 1 say, mo, she has not re-
turned" only 1 never said "she has not
returned in my life, they say. Are
you expecting her pretty soon?' and
1t makes me feel like a fool. For
have to tell them I haven't the faintest
idea when you are coming home. For
quite q while / told them / was ex-
pecting you next week. But that has
become an old story, and so now just
tell them the truth, which is that I
don't know. They think it is very
funny. and 1 can see everybody is sus-
picious and thinks you have finally
left me for good. Well. don't want
to hurry you, and stay as long as your
like, but 1 can tell you right now your
long absence isn't doing me any par
ticular good socially. And you know
what happened last year. You hadn't
been home an hour until you got an
ANONYMOUS letter about me, and 1t
took me three months to convince you
that my conduct had been what 1t
should have been, and, for that matter.
I never did convince you. Ana So II
you want to stick around out there and
get some more anonymous letters
when you come back, well and good
only. of course, don't want you to
come back till you have your visit
out and stay as long as you like
don't suppose you ever knew Mrs
Searcy. In fact, I know you didn't
because she was a friend of mine you
never met. Anyhow, her name wasn't
Searcy then. That was before she was
married the second time. 1 forgot
just what her name was then
Sample, or something like that. Well,
she was a nice little blond lady who
had had some worthless husbands and
a good deal of hard luck. She used
to come in every once in a while to see
if ] could tell her where she could find
a job. She got a job after a while,
marrying another worthless husband
who not only found her one. but saw
to it that she stuck to it. But that IS
neither here nor there, because she
got a divorce from him right after he
came out of the army. 1t seems he
didn't behave well in France. Well,
yesterday the telephone rang AMI
central said Trenton wanted to talk to
me- I couldn't think of anybody in
Trenton who would want to talk to
me, but pretty soon a womans voice
came over. the wire, and what do you
suppose she asked me? You'd never
guess She wanted to know If could
guess who it was, and when told her
couldn't she saic it was Mary. /
naturally wanted to know what her
other name was, and she finally
opened up and told me. She said she
was in a good deal of trouble, and l
had suspected that, because she al
ways is. And so said, Tell me about
it, Mary, and what can I do for you?"
"Wel1,' she says, I'VE can't get a
license here on account of the New
Jersey laws, and we are coming over
to Philadelphia, and if it wouldn't be
an imposition I'd like to have you go
license and meet us at the train" And
said, Good heavens. Mary. You
are not marrying again, are your"
And she said, yes, 1 am, and he's a
nice fellow and we want to be married
today" 1 told her I didn't have time
to get the licens. on account of having
to get out the column, but i would
meet them at the train If that would
do any good, and she said they'd be
here at 4:45 and rang off. 1 met the
4:45 train, but they were not on il.
and when 1 got back to the office
there was a telegram saying they'd be
here on the 6:15 train. 1 met the 6:15
train at Broad street, and, sure
enough, they got off. After we had
talked a little 1 said, well, what do
you babes in the woods want to do?"
And they said, We don't know
exactly; what do you suggest" I
told them what I'd do, and then, on
account of me having a dinner engage
ment with Albert Reid, L went away
and left them. 3 little while age
Mary called up again and she still is
trouble 1t seems they can't get a
license here either on account of Mary
not having her first divorce papers