Marion Marlowe's Christmas Eve, or, The Treachery of a Factory Inspector — page 31: what you’re looking at

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

low. Please tell me how I can win back his love, as I love him dearly, and if his coolness con- tinues it will break my heart. I have done my best to make up with him. VIoLet 8.” If you feel that you have done all that is possi- ble to remedy your error we would advise you to stop worrying about it. No doubt the coolness which you speak of will melt. away in time, but some natures take longer to forgive and forget than others. We cannot help criticising the letter which you sent us, but only for your own good. Why not give less thought to the young men for a time, Violet, and try to improve your hand- writing and grammar? —— 4 , «] have been reading ‘My Queen’ and seeing so many turn to you for advice, I also want to ask you a question. I am a girl of seventeen and have been keeping company with a fellow aged twenty. Of late he only comes to see me once a week, sometimes not for two or three weeks. I often meet him onthe street when out with my girl friends, and he always speaks to me. Do you think he still cares for me? I do not feel as though I could give him up. Hoping to hear what you advise through the columns of ‘My Queen,’ I remain, Yours truly, . . “Fours D.” The young man’s actions do not seem to indi- eate any marked affection. When aman stops writing the regular weekly letters and refrains from making the regular daily or weekly calls, it js a pretty sure sign that his devotion is waning. We would advise you to interest yourself in some one or something else, so that if you find your- self neglected entirely you will be able to bear it bravely. Above all things, do not let him or any one else see how his coldness hurts you, for, un- fortunately, the world at large has very little sympathy for neglected sweethearts and unre- quited affections. “AglIam going with a young man and live ina hotel I cannot ask him up to see me unless I ask him into a bed-room. Do you think it would be _ -~-wrong to ask him up there? I like this young man very much. Of course,my mother would bein the next room if notin the same, but you know young people do not want their parents in the same room with them all the time. I have not asked him up to see me yet, though I have been going around with him all summer. Will he think it funny that Ido notask him up? I have been to my friend’s houses with him. Kindly ad- vise me and greatly oblige an admirer. “MAZIE B.”? We are not prepared to say what the young man thinks regarding your failure to invite him into your bed-room, but we think it would be ex- ceedingly improper for you to do so, especially _ as you are the kind of a girl who “‘does not al- ways want her parents*in the room with her.”’ When your mother thinks you are old enough and wise enough to receive calls from young men she will, no doubt, provide a sitting-room for you to receive them in. It would be a sensible _ thing for you to consult with her upon this sub- MY QUEEN. 29 ject and be guided by her advice in regard to spending so much time “ooing” with this young man. 7 “Will you kindly give me your advice ona matter of great importance to me? Jam a young man, or a boy, seventeen years old, five feet nine inches in height, weigh 165 pounds, And I am in love with a girl who is fifteen years old. But she is as well developed as most young ladies at eighteen. She is an orphan. Her mother has been dead about a month. Sire has a house all furnished. And I am making eighteen dollars per week. She will do as I say. Do you think it advisable to marry so young and so soon after her mother’s death? She wants some one to take eare of her. Why not me as well as some one else who would take her home from her to pay them for their trouble? Please advise me as I do not know what to do. I love her as much as it is possible for a person to love another. And she loves me. ANxIovus.’?” The condition of the young girl you write of is exceedingly pitiful. Has she no guardian or no relatives to look after her interests? We do not think any girl of fifteen or any boy of eighteen is old enough to marry. There must be some one to protect the girl! ‘It would be a dreadful condi- tion of affairs were she obliged to marry at that age in order to be protected. We should be pleased to hear from the girl herself, as her side of the story would have to be considered. We have no doubt that your intentions are honor- able, but it can do no harm to wait a little, for if the girl really loves you, she will not marry any one else at present. ‘(As IT was coming from my friend’s house early one morning a very nice-looking man who talked very nice came up to me and said a few words about the weather. Then he asked me if I, with a few girl friends, would sit for him until he took our pictures. He asked meif I with one friend would come up to his room some night. He said his friend would take my friend’s pic- ture. He said he was stopping at a very nice house. He said he wanted the pictures to put in some monthly papers. He then asked me if J ob- jected to having my pictures taken low neck. I said I did not, for I had my picture taken oncey with my collar off. He then said have you any ob- jection to having them taken in adress above your knees? JI said ‘no,’ for I only wear them below my shoetops. Then I left him. When I was going he said, ‘Don’t forget to come up to the house next Thursday night, we will be all ready for you.’ I wa8 very much frightened. Did I do right in not going Thursday night? A couple of girl friends of mine said I wus foolish not to go and havea good time. Do you think so? Did he mean any harm? I would like to have my picture in the paper, but I would not want to have to do wrong for it. Hope L.”’ We would advise you to give the name of that man who spoke to you to the police at once, or else tell what you have told us to your father or big brother. You were very sensible to stop talking to the fellow when you did, but, as he was a stranger to you, you should not have entered into any conversation with him in the first place. There is no doubt in the world that GOImniGeooo So (CO)