The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1939-08-19
Uncle Jim's Advice
BY JANE OSBORN
G Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
WNU Service.


Mr.. John Doremus and his uncle,
the other Mr.. John Doremus are
tied up in important conference. He
simply cannot be interrupted"
The conference certainly was i'm
portant, but not just the way the
girl in the outer Office thought it
was. John Doremus, Sr., sat at his
glass-covered mahogany desk, chair
tilted back, smoking with all the
serenity of philosopher. His
nephew sat almost as comfortably,
also smoking, in an ample chair at
the side of the desk. John Doremus,
ST., was president of the concern
and his nephew was secretary.
"Of course you ought to get mar
RED" said the elder Doremus.
81 guess you're right, Uncle
john" said his namesake. "Tve
met lot of nice girls lately, but
can't say that there is one of
them that would want to marry
me-"
"How many have you proposed
to-" asked the uncle.
The nephew was nonplussed at
the question. "Why, none of them,"
he gasped. 81 never proposed to
girl in my life. /"
"I'm blessed" said the older
man, chuckling and looking over his
glasses at his nephew in mild
amazement. "In give you a bit
of advice and at the same time
make confession. When I was a
younger man I was a good deal like
you. Not bad looking, but not the
sort that the girls just naturally fell
for. wanted to get married, so I
made up my mind that I'd fuss
every girl knew that was at all
attractive. I wouldn't wait until I
fell in love with a girl so deeply
that it would hurt to have her turn
me down. So I got the reputation
of being quite a kidder. The girls
didn't take me quite seriously, so
when any of them sent me off and
married someone else they didn't
have the satisfaction of thinking I
was broken-hearted. And" added
the uncle seriously, ''I had made
up my mind that if any girl ever
did take me in good faith I wouldn't
disappoint her. I'd stand by my
guns"
eff you want to get married, my
advice to you is that you start in
making love, just to get used to it."
To get to his own office young
John had to cross through the outer
Office. He was much preoccupied,
not with business, but with the
thoughts of this new plan. He was
wondering just how he would begin.
And as he wondered he almost col
Lded with Jane Monday. Jane Mon
day had come from her home four
hundred miles away. Tom Monday,
her brother, worked and lived here
in the big city. She was passing
through and had only few hours.
She had lost her brothers address
and wanted to get in touch with
d him. His name was not in the
telephone directory, but she had
found Johns business place and
here she was. John remembered
her as one of the prettiest girls at
a house party he had attended a
year ago with his old college chum
Tom Monday. Her very prettiness
had made him excessively shy then.
Now he remembered only Uncle
Jim's advice. He stood rather close
to Jane Monday.
cts almost luncheon time" he
said. "Tm going to take you to
luncheon and you can look up your
brother later. I've been hoping I'd
see you sometime" He was amazed
at his own utterance, and the girl
for all her prettiness, seemed en-
barrassed.
you're very dictatorial," she
said, and John Doremus told her
that experience had taught him that
was the best policy. )
At luncheon John Doremus looked
intently into the pretty eyes of the
girl opposite to him.
give often hoped that would see
you again." he fabricated.
The pretty eyes dropped. "I sup
pose I'll have to confess" she said
falteringly. 81 thought a great deal
about you after that house party,
and-and I really haven't lost
Toms address at all. I just DELHI
erately called on you because I
wanted to see you. Do you think
I'm dreadfully bold?"
you're adorable" said John,
trying to hide his amazement. ''I
would have gone to you if you
hadn't come to me. Jane, dear, I've
loved you ever since I first saw
you"
A fortnight later John Doremus
junior held his hand out to his uncle.
81 want to thank you, Uncle John,
for your good advice. When l left
your Office the day you gave it to
me fairly ran into a pretty girl.
I started in making love to her, just
to get the habit. And now we're
engaged. We're going to be married
as soon as she can get her clothes
and it happens that she's the pref
dol