Evening star., 1925-10-25

II ARIt1AGE is serious matter,
N not to be entered into lightly.
!U This is what ever minister
4 L and magazine article and
older person says. When l
so 10 a wedding | realize myself that
1t is true. I have sat listening TO the
sacred, solemn. mysterious sounding
marriage vows and wondered how any
body in the world ever has the nerve
TO take them.
But the second l began to consider
getting married myself everything
seemed different. 1t seemed exciting
and thrilling and adventurous instead
of solemn. Marriage, when l thought
about it for other people, | still ad-
mitted was a serious matter. But for
myself VIII had only to put his
arm around me to make me feel all
thrills and goosefesh. the way ! used
20 feel about circus day and Christmas
eve, only much more SO. When /
would be alone later and think about
It, l would be forced to realize that l
must be going at things wrong. But
I couldn't seem to help it. Worse still,
I didn't even want to help it. I was
certainly entering into marriage light
ly. But not for a billion dollars would
have given up the goosefesh and
other way.
And l must say that most of the
advice that everybody in the world
began giving me as soon as 1T was
known | was engaged was practical
rather than solemn. Not mothers so
much, mother being inclined to be
moral in what she says, though quite
practical in what she does She began
as soon as she got over the idea that
we We're too young to be engaged at
all, VIII being just 81 and me 10.
However, VIII was graduated from
Dartmoor and was going into busi-
ness with his father. SO even mother
finally admitted that IL might be all
right.
You will find" said mother. that
the whole secret of a happy married
life is bearing and forbearing. Don't
ba afraid to give in-you Will often
find that you are the happier for it
Naturally, l didn't pay any atten-
ton to that advice. AS advice, the
be e-good-and-y you 'll-be-happy kind never
makes any hit with me. AS l figure
II out, maybe you will be and maybe
you won't.
But Immediately after mother, every
body else in Nontrose also began Civ
ing me pieces of advice. This had
been going on for two weeks when It
suddenly dawned on me that nine
tenths Of these pieces were really eX-
actly the same piece-just dolled up
differently. This was it:
Get started right.
Let me tell You something, Dotty,
said Mrs. Dunwoody, who was the
1itst, after mother, ''as long as YOU
and VIII Horton are going to be mar
ried. l want TO give you little
pointer. Don't you ever start laying
out his clothes for him."
Laying out his clothes" l re-
peated. and a queer thrill swept over
me at the idea Of being perfectly free
10 go to Wills bureau drawer and get
out a pair OF socks. Being in love
is certainly queer. Here I've known
VIII all my life and thought nothing
OF 1t. Until a year ago. the idea
Of a mere sock of his being anything
10 me would have given me an awful
laugh. And yet when Mrs. Dunwoody
said that, the thrill that swept over
me made me almost sick. 1t seemed
10 me that going to Wills bureau
drawer and taking out pair Of socks
would be as exciting as going into the
city to the theater once was.
''At first" Mrs. Dunwoody went on.
you will think that this is fun
l wonder how Mrs. Dunwoody knew
that. She surely never found it out in
her own life. Mr.. Dunwoody is bald as
an egg, and is always trying a new
hair tonic. and he always gets fidgety
at parties and wants to go home be
fore the refreshments are served You
can't tell me that even Mrs. Dun
woody ever got excited over q pair OF
socks.
But" she went on, "if you start
doing this when It is fun he will get
to expecting it. and then. after the
novelty wears off, and it isn't fun any
more. you'll be saddled with a foolish
COB all the rest of your natural life.
Mr.. Dunwoody doesn't know any more
about the inside Of his bureau drawers
than he does about the inside OF
Africa. He's never seen either Of
them. It's fearful nuisance to me,
and there,s not q grain of sense in IL