The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-11-23
Miss Mayhew's
Column
By CALVIN HENDRICKS.

newspaper woman on any Of the met
ropolitan dailies. Everybody admit
ted that, and besides, Mclaughlin, who
was on the copy desk. told her that
he had heard the city editor say So.
Perhaps he was preiudiced In her IA
vor, but his words came to her spirit
as balm and nectar at period when
life seemed like black tunnel stretch
ing away until Miss Mayhem came
back.
It was not that Miss Kent had be-
come distrustful of her powers, or
blase. No, there was a deeper rea-
son. Miss Agnes Mayhew, who gave
advice to distracted lovers in two
half-columns every afternoon. had
been called home to Ohio on account
of her mothers illness, and the worst
of 1t was that she had just got to the
bottom Of her basket. Those lovers
who had, presumably, been waiting
through many dreary days to find the
answers which should solve their own
peculiar and unparalleled problems,
had all been answered.
Miss Mayhem took her work Sc
riously.
That was why Miss Kent felt dis
consulate. She had been taken on
her reporters job and set to answer
ing the imbecilities Of Cupid's VIC
tins. She let the letters accumulate,
and by the third day she had quite a
batch Of them. The first that she
took in hand ran as follows:
"My Dear Miss Mayhem:
"You have given so much good ad-
vice to others that perhaps you will
help me. A young gentleman is very
fond Of me, like l am of him. We
love each other dearly. There Is only
one vice he has. After he takes me
to the theater he wants me to kiss
him good-by after he takes me home.
My friends tell me that / ought not
to let him kiss me as we are not en-
gagged. What ought to do?"
This time Miss Kent could not go
wrong, for one of her predecessors
forms exactly covered this common
situation. Miss Mayhem was adaman-
tine where propriety was concerned.
"No lady," she wrote, "will ever
offer her lips to man under any cir
cumstances. unless she ts engaged to
him. You must tell your friend firm
~ but politely that you cannot per-
NIT such conduct"
After she had put this letter aside
Miss Kent was quite thoughtful for
a long time. The paper was crowded
that day and there was only room for
one more answer. II was as follows:
Dear Mss Mayhem:
II am a blonde and I have been 60
ing with q young gentleman for a
year. We love each other dearly. He
has never asked me to marry him.
Would it be wrong for me to tell him
I love him! I am nineteen and am
considered rather good-looking."
Something Of Miss Mayhew's
adamantine resolution nerved Miss
Kent's right hand.
mo won n ever tells a man that
she loves him until he has asked her
to marry him. she wrote.
"I wonder" she reflected, as she
laid her pen aside, whether Miss
Mayhew was writing from experience
when she penned Form T."
Her task was over at last and she
rose up and went to the wardrobe for
her hat.
"It Is good discipline to be sponsor
for all the love-struck idiots In town"
she reflected.
"I beg your pardon" inquired Mr..
Mclaughlin. he was passing out
toward the corridor and had stopped
to watch her pinning her hat to her
hair. It was nice hat and nice
hair.
81 beg your pardonr he repeated
"Did you say something, Miss Kentr"
20, dear no, I was Just soliloquiz-
Ing" she answered. giving her hat a
final pat to straighten Il.
Mclaughlin paused irresolutely.
"You look quite tagged" he said.
"Say. Miss Kent. won't you-I mean
would you mind having dinner with
me tonight, somewhere? And then
maybe we can take In a show after
ward-yes"
81 don't know that ought to-" Miss
Kent answered, but her smile was dis
tinctly Affirmative So they set out for
a Scandinavian restaurant. They
sat down at a table which had been
made for two exclusively. and there
the lights and the music and the
merry conversation Of the other diners
made Miss Kent forget all about Miss
Mayhew and her miserable GORE
spondents.
And then they fell to chatting and
fingered over the meal so long that
neither knew whether the fish iiad
been served or whether 1t was the
salad they were waiting for.
When al last McLaughlin left Miss