Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1931-08-14


rHE conditions that brought
about the engagement of Mary
Estes to Benjamin Parke were
the normal unexciting ones OF
certain degree of propinquity, SIM
ilarity of social standing and gen.
eral desirability smiled upon by fam
lilies Of both parties concerned.
In the thriving Middle West city
where Mary Estes had been born and
reared, Benjamin Parke was regarded
as one of the most promising young
business men Of the community. When
Mary Estes was still attending high
school and taking the commercial
course which was ultimately to pre-
pare her for her work as secretary to
the richest banker of the town, the
Estes people were highly respectable
and conservative family in reduced
finances, probably a shade or two
higher in the social strata than the
Parke family, although Benjamin's ia
ther was a dentist Of solid standing
and good practice.
The two young people of these re-
spective and respectable families, in
spite of the disparity of ten years in
their ages, were thrown socially to-
gether by way Of church, entertain
ment and bridge party. Their ulti-
mate engagement was as normal as
sunrise. A little furry of anticipatory
gossip had, of course, preceded it; its
announcement was matter of local
applause; its consummation looked
forward to by group of friends and
relatives who moved interestedly
around the nucleus Of the happy pair.
1t was fun to be engaged. 1t was
great fun to be the center of interest,
the center of pleasant attention and
consideration of the group Of people
that made up Mary's world.
The slightly envious attention of
her friends who were not yet en-
gagged the sisterly acceptance of her
as one of themselves by the girls who
were engaged. The tolerant interest
in her by those Of her friends who
were newly married. And the affec-
tionate, busted attention from the old
er concentrations, spinsters and
widows alike.
All Of Mary's world paid her the
charming tribute that is the lot Of
happy young love- And she found
this tribute most flattering, most at
tractive.
Two months after the announcement
of the engagement Mary Estes re-
signed her pleasant and lucrative POSI-
tion as secretary to the richest man
in town and began preparations for
June wedding. Benjamin Parke, by
then sole proprietor of a small but
furnishing furniture store on High
street. was known to be in the market
for an attractive building lot on Kay
street. one of the towns pretty bunga-
low districts The friends of Mary
began to plan linen showers and small
festivities that had to do with the
approaching marriage. Benjamin
Parke took out tidy life insurance
policy and announced that he was
building an ell to his furniture store.
1t was an alliance that promised
we'll Mary and Benjamin would be a
good substantial addition to the citi-
Zenry of the community; were the
kind to foster stability, decency and
right living.
There was nothing in particular
about the engagement Of this young
pair TO dlfferentiate 1t from alliances
that were constantly being made, and
yet 1t Is possible that Mary and Ben
represented what in the eyes of the
community might be regarded as the
Ideal marriage.
The ideal marriage that would lead
to years of happiness, of struggle of
accomplishments. Mistakes, of course,
But on the whole the usual happy and
successful life in which hardships and
pleasures are mingled.
That was what made the condition
so narrowing, so terrible, so secretly
frightening to Mary Estes when GER
tain menacing facts began to take on
a reality she had been struggling
against ever since the first few weeks
following her engagement.
Everything was right, everything
was as 1t should be. A better, steadier,
more cOnsiderate hoy than BENJAMIN
Parke could not be imagined. Her
parents were happy, his parents were
happy, and, with bungalow on Kay
street an old dream Of her was about
to come true. As Mary conflded to
her best chum, Alice Mcmahon. a
pretty doll with china.blue eyes, It was
story-boolI engagement in its total
deslrability from every angle.
All except one-and that one angle
Mary did not begin to admit. even to
herself, until weeks after the an
nouncement Of her engagement.
Mary was not In love with Benja-
min Parke. Strange, how clear the
matter ultimately became to her Not
until after n long period OF self-hyp-
nosls, did Mary come to realize that.
from the very beginning, she had
thrown herself consciously into n
state Of mind about Ben. She had
talked herself into condition OF
seeming to he In love with him. The
wish father to the thought, she had
deliberately tried to force herself into
a state Of mind
The engagement 10 Ben had been
the result It had seemed TO her, dur
ing those months while the facts OF
her self-hyDuoaiE gtIll lasted hat she