Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1934-12-20
Dumb Belle
By ALICE D. KELLY
O. Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service.

ERNEST LEIGHTON singled her out
~ after his popular lecture on psy-
chology before the Women's Clubs of
DENLY because she was so absolutely
lovely, and because she apparently
hadn't assimilated single word that
he'd said.
He'd had enough and to spare of in
tellectual women.
Dear Professor Leighton, do you
subscribe to the Gestalt theory?"
Professor. I've been simply en-
thralled by your last book. l was a
little in doubt about the primitive
emotions"
Because he was comparatively young
and very bronZed and big and comely
they pursued him chastely. with COO
ings born Of much book learning.
He'd come to DENLY and his new po-
sition on the university well on the
defensive. One glance at the girls in
his advanced classes and he knew he'd
better stick to books. He liked his
women little and helpless and as dumb
as they could be without actually hav-
ing an I. Q. below eighty.
That's why he fell so hard for Jen-
nie-Lou Truesdale that very first mo-
ment he saw her. She couldn't have
been prettier and she couldn't have
looked more gaily and unshamedly
dumb. He got himself introduced d.
rectly after the lecture and looked
raptly down at her five feet one inch
of curves. satiny skin, ultra clothes and
general sweetness and said:
"What were you doing at my lee
ture"
She dimpled at him and answered
with darling little gurgle Of laughter:
"Oh. 1 had to come. My aunt's on the
committee. Aren't you tired saying all
those long words?" He could have
kissed her with the greatest Of ease
and, indeed, made his plans to do so
as speedily as it could be arranged.
When she suggested with a provo
cative sweep of black, curly lashes
against an apple blossom cheek, II
know a place where you can dance
and get tea with awfully good rum in
it." He said Lets go" without ever
thinking of the reception committee
whom he was MORALLY insulting.
He kissed her going home in the car,
and she said, "Oh, you shouldn't!
Should you?" And he said masterful-
ly, 81 should and I intend to 60 on do
ing So"
After that he spent every waking in
slant with her for days. She thought
he was wonderful and told him so.
frequently. The simplest things had
to be explained to her in words Of one
syllable. "No. dear precious, it's no
use blowing up the tire, it has a great
big cut in it. You remember you drove
over all that glass?" "Yes. dear. I do
have to study" mo, l don't know all
the psychology there is :" etc.,
etc.
They were engaged two weeks after
they met and events progressed
smoothly toward a speedy and elab-
crate wedding.
Then the blow fell. 1t was at a re-
ception. plain woman came up to
the happy pair. She beamed up at
Ernest.
You're getting a real little treas
ure," she told him. II had Jennie-Lou
in all my courses in the university, and
she passed with honors. She may not
know much about your subject but
she's at the top in her own"
1t was SCATTERING! All Jennie-Lou's
adorable dumbness had been line
then! Ernest couldn't take it. The
thing he loved was dead. He took ad-
vantage of a convention in the Middle
West and went away. He couldn't
bear even to write to Jennie-LOu. For
the first few days sense Of escape
from a lifetime of companionship and
mental equality sustained him. But
after that he realized that he wanted
Jennie-L He wanted to hear her
gurgling little laugh and her delight
fully. idiotic questions and wipe away
her facile tears. He decided to sacri-
fee everything for love.
She greeted him ecstatically. bad
boy, not to WRITE" she chided him
gently. II should scold you for that.
Darling, we've had thirty-six new we'd
ding presents. And my wedding dress
is DONE" she gurgled infectiously.
1t was on the boat that Ernest sum-
mOned up his courage. He had loved
Jennie-LOu enough to give up the
dream of a lifetime and marry her
complete with honors. He had given
up years of comfortable evenings Of
dancing and lovemaking and foraging
in the ice box for the horrors of dis
cussing each others work.
He held Jennie-Lou close. as he
asked tensely, Sweetheart, what was
your subject in school?"
SCHOOL," she asked vaguely.
school? Oh yes! Oh, never stayed
in college, dear. think it would have
been too awfully boring, don't your"
she gurgled. 81 always forget you
keep on and on going to college" She
laid q bright head against his Shout
der. 81 took domestic science" she
told him. "Of course not the chemis-
try part and all that silly stuff about
what foods are which. Everybody eats
the same things anyhow, and it was
so dull. But I learned to make the
loveliest layer cake and lobster New
huro and eyerythino I got a 100 Der