Marion Marlowe Entrapped, or, The Victim of Professional Jealousy — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

that Iam very unhappy. All my life I have heard and read of the ‘perfect bliss’ which a young girl feels on the eve of her marriage, yet I am to be married in a week, and I spend half of my time in erying. I think that I love my future husband very dearly, yet I can’t bear tc give up my girl- hood and be a married woman, and then I am - beset by the responsibilities and uncertainties of . the future.’ Am I different from other girls, or is this a natural feeling? I cannot talk tomy mother on this subject. She isa very peculiar woman and only laughs at my anxieties. o 2. Bb?’ Your condition of mind seems to us to be very ‘natural. The girl who can stand upon the threshold of matrimony and feel differently must be sadly lacking in the elements of common sense and caution. But there is no necessity forleaving your “girlhood behind,” Take it right along with a day the grace and wisdom of a woman. I have dolls in their leisure hours, and.I think their hus- bands really enjoyed witnessing their innocent pleasure. Women, or most of them, ‘‘settle down” too thoroughly as soon as they are married. They forget that it was their “girlishness’” that first charmed their lovers, and that this same ‘‘girl- _. ishness’’ can be made'to charm and hold a hus- - band. Never grow old in your frusband’s eyes if you can help it. As for the responsibilities and uncertainties, they will not all come in a minute- _ When they do come, you will be surprised to find ~ how easily you can manage them. oa J “I have been told over and over that all mar- _ riages are failures, and as I Jook about me I am - tempted to believe it, yet 4f this is true, what is _ the use of living? Must we go on slaving and toiling without a ray of happiness in this life. If marriage is a failure, then love isa failure. Is _ there anything left worth living or striving for? i Y n> =; : “ays. _ This letter is the result of some old busy-body’s _ where love reigns supreme, and there will be j plénty more if truth is to be relied upon. The __ people who say that marriage is a failure\are __ usually the ones who have made it’ a failure by _ their own foolishness or wickedness. The ideal ‘ “4 married life is heaven on earth, and it is possible to all who will strive to attain it. Choose wisely, carefully and with moderation, then remember that the germ of love must be constantly nour- ished, and that the greatest care is needed to make it bloom fragrantly. Those who expect much are apt to give little. The perfect harmony of the family depends upon mutual effort anda _ _- constant endeavor to please one another. ‘ This world would be a sad place indeed were it _ not for love. The power of affinity holds the uni- verse together. | ; _ “Will you please advise me in the following _ matter: I have received an invitation to dine _ With aman I have never met. Heisa friend of “<— _ one of my girl friends, and I think she is in love wart MY QUEEN. you into your married life, only add to it day by geen many married women who played with eroaking. There are plenty of happy marriages. 31 with him. She showed him my picture and now he has wfitten me this letter of invitation. I be- lieve he is rich, and I would like to meet him. Would it be honorable to my friend to accept his invitation? A. F.” First of all, we do not think it would be “ho-- orable”’ to yourself to dine with a man whom you have neverseen or to whom you have never been introduced, and we cannot understand your con- sidering his invitation fora minute. The proper thing for you to dois to pay no attention to the letter. It was decidedly rude and uncompliment- ary to you to write it in the first place. “The social season is just beginning in our town, and there isa party, or ball, or something of the sort almost every evening. I enjoy going out more than anything else, but my parents ob- ject to my doing so, and scold me continually. I am sixteen years old, and it does seem to me that I ought to be allowed to have some fun. Don’t you think they are awfully mean not to allow me pleasure of this sort? ANNIE 8.”’ Your parents are a great deal wiser than you are, Annie, and we advise you not to go contrary to their wishes. You are much too young to be thinking of social pastimes. Stay at home fora year or two more at least, and spend your time with your booksimproving your mind and fitting yourself to be a useful, helpful woman. When you do begin to go out again make your pleasures incidental to your life, and do not allow them to absorb your whole time and thought. . “T have read every number of ‘My Queen’ and have enjoyed them immensely. I think Marion the sweetest girl that ever lived, and lam sure that her creator, Miss Shirley, is awfully wise. Will she be kind enough to spare time to give me a little advice? Iam nineteen years old and have been in society for two years, but, somehow, I don’t get along’ in company a bit. Other girls laugh and talk, but I can never find anything to say, and the men all vote me a bore, I am sure. Can you tell me of some magic method by which I can attain the social] graces, JEAN R. R.”’ Thank you for yourkind words in regard to “My Queen’ and the author’s wisdom. Experience is the only teacher, Jean, and a hard one at that. Do not be disheartened if you do not attract the men who like the chattering, giggling girls— probably you will attract the quietest and most substantial, and make firmer friends of them than the other girls could possibly make of the other men. In a general way, you can probably over- come your diffidence and backwardness in con- versation by endeavoring to discover in what sub- ject a man isinterested and then talking ofthat. If he finds'that you areinterested yourself in his fads he will take interest enough in you tc interest himself in yours, and then the wheels of con- versation will run smoothly enough. ‘One of the best fellows in the world has asked me to become his wife. I esteem him highly—I might almost say that I love him if I had not de- cided long ago to leave the word ‘love’ out of my CORMIC HOOKS: € (0)