Marion Marlowe's Noble Work, or, The Tragedy at the Hospital — page 33: what you’re looking at

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

‘age somewhere in your husband’s pocket-book, but you can only find it with the aid of tact and ‘kindness. If you command him to explain he is likely to be more extravagant than ever. «J am a saleswoman getting ten dollars a week, and I have a little flat for which I pay fourteen dollars a month. The expenses are pretty heavy, and Iam often at my wits’ end as to how I shall pay them. A gentleman whom I ‘know is anxious to board with me, and says he will give me five dollars a week for his room with breakfasts. I am eighteen years old and very much in love with this gentleman. Would it be improper for me to take him as a boarder? ’ ‘HVELYN T, G.” It would indeed be very improper for you to take the young man to board. Can you not geta nice, congenial girl friend to goin with you and bear half of the expense? | Wil you kindly answer the following ques- tions which are worrying me greatly: How cana girl of fifteen tell when she is really in love, and how old a man ought she to marry? I have two lovers, a boy of seventeen and a man of forty. I like one as well as the other. Which shall I m arry? Amy.” We think you would be foolish to marry. either. No girl of fifteen is fitto marry. Wait until you are old enough and wise enough to consider such astep, and, above all things, wait until you are sure you are in love. There will be no uncer- tainty when the right man comes along. You should develop your talents and graces in order to be ready for him. | —_— _ “Please tell me if you believe in long engage- ments? I have been engaged nine years, and am beginning to weary of the condition, All of my irl friends are married, and they are all poking natme. My lover knows this, still he does not seem to mind it an atom. Is he not unfeeling and unmanly to keep me waiting? ELLEN D.”’ It is very apparent to us that your lover is not _alover. He is not worthy of the affection of any good woman. If he cannot marry you himself he should take himself out of the way and give - some more enterprising man a chance to win you. A nine year engagement must be very ‘stupid. You have our sympathy. “T am very much perplexed about a simple Matter, and I feel sure that you will help me to Straighten the tangle. A young man who calls ipon me is apparently very much in love with erat in spite of the fact that he has been call- ing for three years, he has never said so much as 4 word about marriage. I am twenty-five years old and am getting very anxious. If he does not Propose pretty soon it will drive me to despera- Hon, ALIcE C.”’ _ You seem to believe that marriage is the chief pend and aim of woman. If you are so anxious to marry you had better ‘‘pop the question”’ your- < _ Self or else try to get a new lover who will be MY QUEEN. 31 more speedy in his declarations. Possibly the young man has sot yet made up his mind as to your worth as a wife, or possibly he has not money enough to marry, or some such reason. Rather than distress yourself farther, I should certainly ask him his ‘‘intentions.’’ It will at least “straighten the tangle’? and show you where you stand. If you were thirty-five instead of twenty-five, there would still be ample time to marry, , “T am anxious to ask you a question, Miss Shirley, and I do hope that you will not think I am silly. I am very fond of kissing, awfully, » awfully fond of it, and I hug and kiss my sweet- heart just as often as possible. My mother says I am far too forward, and that I will disgust him if I kiss him so often. I should die to lose him, but what can I do? The minute I see him I want to fly at him and kiss him. MINNIE.”’ My dear Minnie, you are certainly in a very bad way. Have you never heard the adage that ‘‘familiarity breeds contempt?” There are men in the world who really enjoy osculatory demon- strations such as you delight in, but there are others who prefer an occasional kiss, and, as: your mother says, are disgusted at such frequent outbursts of affection. We would advise you to break yourself of the osculatory habit. An occa- sional kiss contains far more of the nectar of bliss than the ‘‘continuous performance’’ which you seem to indulge in. A woman cannot be too chary of her kisses be- fore marriage. After your sweetheart is your husband, we shall feel very differently. If he has stood the fire of your affection and crowned it with matrimony it is safe to suppose that your temperament pleases him. “Will you kindly tell me how I can prove that my fiance loves me? He often says so, but I have no way of proving that he speaks truly. Ought he not to do some noble deed for me, or are the daily little attentions sufficient proof of his devotion? JANE L.”? We think that the ‘‘little things”’ of life weigh far more heavily in the balance than one heroic action. Both men and women doa heroic deed, when occasion requires or permits, merely through the stimulus of danger or the love of ex- citement, but it is the truly good man who is faithful in the ‘‘little things,’’ and smooths the daily life with his thoughtful attentions. We do not think you have anything to fear, as your fiance probably loves you, and he will do the heroic deed if it is ever necessary. “T am in great distress of mind, and having read your good advice to others, I make bold to come to you in my perplexity. I am nota very good cook, and my husband knew it before he married me. He used to say when he was court- ing me that anything that was made by my hands would be heavenly. Now he says a woman isa fool who does not know how to cook, and he is COMIC oo (C <SriG@