Marion Marlowe in Washington, or, Meeting the President — page 31: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“JT am a boy of seventeen and am off attending school. Have meta young lady, and am desper- ately in love with her, and asked her to be my wife. She readily accepted, but her purents ob- ject. I think my parents can easily provide for her. Now, I want to ask your advice whether or not I should elope with her. MaAnunni McG.” By no means take any stich foolish step as to elope. You are too young to think of marriage, and it is evident that you do not realize its responsibilities when you suggest that your par- ents can support your wife. No right-minded man would consider marriage for a moment under such circumstances. Wait until you havea good position and can support yourown wife before you ask any woman to marry you. That is the only manly course to pursue. “There is a young man that comes to see me very often, and makes love to me. I want to know if he is in earnest or not. He has dark brown curly hair and brown eyes, dark complex- ion, age twenty-three years. He is rather timid, and Iinfluence himin any way I wish. I am a girl that will always have my own way. I am sixteen years old and my hairand eyes are the same color as his. I treat him as a friend, and that is all, and when he asks me if I love him, I tell him fyes,’ but I don’t. me. IN, 8,’ The fact that the young man ‘‘makes love’’ to you would indicate that he isin earnest, unless you have some special reason for doubting his sincerity. You should not tell any man that you love him when you do not. Love is too serious a matter to be treated lightly, and no true woman will mislead a man in this manner. You are rather young to be spending much time thinking about love affairs. Since you do not care for the young man,the only thing for you to do is to tell him so frankly. “T read your kind answers to young girls, so I ask you to answer this one for me. I am dead in love with a young man and he treats me very kindly, but never makes a sign of an engage- ment. How could I let him know I love him? SiaTn RR.” If the young man has only treated you kindly, _ as any friend would, we cannot advise you to let him know that you love him. In fact, we recom- mend that you endeavor to overcome these feel- ings and to save your affection for the man who seeks it and appreciates it. “Tam a young woman,twenty-one years old. I met a gentleman, twenty-four years old, just a year ago, and love him very much. At the end _ of six months he took a position out West, where he has since resided. The first few months he _ Wrote every week, but lately his letters are grow- ing very short Would you advise me to ask him the reason or cease writing to him? HaveI mis- _ taken his friendship for love? One other ques- tion: Is there any harm in letting a young man _ Kiss me if he walks home with me in the evening _ and is not engaged to me? Pe DG, | We would judge that the young man was losing his interest in you; his actions certainly indicate » * MY QUEEN. 2D it. There is no special reason why you should discontinue the correspondence unless you wish to do so. It would seem that you mistook his friendly attentions for those of a more tender nature than he intended, which is very unfor- tunate. | We do not see any harm in an occasional friendly kiss if itis understood that it is a favor granted an old friend. Young women should not be too generous with such privileges, but shouid reserve these favors for those who deserve them. “Tama married woman, and my husband and myself attended a ball. We had the first dance together and just as we stopped dancing an old acquaintance of my husband’s asked me for the next two-step in his presence. I answered ‘yes,’ and my husband became very angry and left me at once,saying he had never been cut off so short before. The gentleman had already asked my husband’s permission to dance with me without my knowledge, and he told him ‘certainly.’ Do you think I should have asked his permission in the young man’s presence? “Mrs. CorystTau H.”’ Married couples attend balls on exactly the same footing as any other couple, that is, with the expectation of dancing with others. It is cus- tomary for a lady to engage herself for any one dance to the first applicant requesting the privil- ege of dancing that number with her. It is not customary for her to ask her escort’s permission. Your escort, whether he be your friend, fiance ot husband, is entitled to the first dance, and to take you into supper. He applies for the privi- lege of dancing any other than the first, upon exactly the same footing as any other gentleman present. _——_ — ‘‘T proposed by letter to a young lady—the finest little girl in this world’—but received no answer. I waited, have waited four months—no answer as yet. I wrote again, but a different kind of a letter, asking herif she would go to the theatre with me, not mentioning the other letter, No answer. I had every reason to believe the young lady cared forme. I have probably done wrong—for the last three months I have only visited her house once, the reception this time was very unsatisfactory tome. Some other gen- tleman called and she left the room, not even excusing herself. I could not help noticing it. But I hear from a friend—he visits her sister— that she alwaysinquires how Iam. I am twenty- one years old. “‘T think the best thing for me to do is to for- get that I honored her with my love, for I sup- posed I loved her at the time, and call once a month or so just friendly. ‘‘A GENTLEMAN READER OF ‘My QUEEN.’ ” Since the young lady has not answered either of your letters, we would consider that she did not desire to continue your acquaintance, and we doubt whether she would be pleased to have you call upon her. Your letter indicates that vou are getting over your love for her and the wisest course to pursue would probably be to let the affair terminate right where it is. Go DOO) AUUC <SriG@