1952-02-09 — Page 11

PEOPLE IN LOVE

HAVE often wonder-

ed why it is that some girls who to the 011- looker seem quite or- dinary and not eVell particularly good-looking should be altructive to the ...... opposite 8 e X, wherean others. for more beautiful, - are, as it were, left out the cold.

MANY years

was

ngo,

quite

take an interest

in

that a state of

fs "luc

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1952.

BY RUBY

'FOURTH OF A SPECIAL SERIES: EVERY SATURDAY.

ATTRACTING THE

single

whot

blessed-

OPPOSITE

SEX

A

and his lady-love set up a new next to come a cropper How such

case, they were 50 and very different home to- true it is that:

wrapped up in their muldal at- gether,

"Before you annoer 'yea' or traction that zelther of them

nay

"Can't

Hear what both sides have to

BAN."

But of course those who still eling to the Victorian ideas of morality will declare in a loud

chorus mi triumphant delight:

"Servo those two right! Serve them jotly well right!"

But i don't agree! "Take your happiness while you may is my metto, even if it is only short fived!

and

Inquired into family affairs of attempted to discover 11 thefr next of kin wete anything to do with the aristocracy. However, this matter was bound to come out in the end, and when the

80.000.000 CUSTOMERS

think that too much

I know there are people who impor- tance is altached to what they Of course, there is no call

"silly sentiment," but hard and fast rule for at-ove which makes the world nevertheless it is most certainly traction. Fortunately, men round," and it would be a differ very much in their dismal place (worse than it is tastes, but I have known tion and unreat) if everybody Benedick in the past remarked in these hard Umes of frustra-

Everyone who had known many girl whom I should was foolish enough to take such how much younger looking and have expected to be ima cynical view of matrimony. mediately commandeered I may be quite wrong when happier he became as soon as he was free. Very few people-it and led to the altar who have often considered any-blamed him for taking the have never received a pro- both in men and women step he had.

first thrill was calming down # pussal of marriage or

"He ought to have left the old

little, to her horror my girl friend pride poemselves to be incidence 80-and-so years ago," one of his

discovered that her future hus- sessed even a half-hearted

and self-sufficiency, the atter best friends declared.

band's father kept an unpreten- boy friend.

being n thing more than a formirane how he stond her for five

tious grocer's shop somewhere of conceit and selilshiness, and minutes or why on earth lie

on the outskirts of London. that in spite of the advice ever married her anyway,"

He had apparently spent all his given by Punch in 1845 to per-

However, It 4cemed that

earnings on giving his son much finer education than he rons about to marry, which was Benedick had at last found hap when don't,"

himself had received, and had the wise with agree pinessna nagging, no domina-

arranged for him to join a firm young that there is nothing more pre- tn, Just real affection and sarict Just beginning to clous and worth white in life complete understanding with the HAVE any of you friends who of solicitors.

"A-grocer's shop!" in love than a happy marriage.

young woman who-if she had are anobs, dear readers? I

my giri airs, I knew two sisters who I know there Arc many ever heard of Victorian res sincerely hope not. The one friend gasped; and she nearly were so utterly unlike it was bachelor boys as well as

my ignored it,

pectability calmly smiled and thing I have always despised and had a fit when-with extreme dimeul to believe they were in

cynical

spinster friend

and

falled to understand is snobbery, reluctance her future husband others like her who scoff at any way relatod.

They lived together for two

The Brit

I arrived at

at insisted upon talking her to in- Que was excecilingly grace Finance (or pretend to because

dim during which time their boarding school, In the

spect it. There she met his father use years, she it has never come their way), happiness ful and pretty, although

happiness remained completely distant past,

by B was confronted by

very ordinary, obviously certainly had rather a superior but I am, and always shall be, untouched by the spiteful at one of the

the pupils who immes

me hard-working man who, at the air and was apparently. very a Arm bellever in the

happy tempts made by Mrs Benedick lately Inquired what my fathe: moment, was wearing an apron her beauty The endings with which I still to ruin it. Then, like a belt was. When I informed her in and cutting up the bacon ration ather was just a tomboy, who (apologetically) deluge

the from the blue, the unexpected some surprise at such a a question for a customer. look very little interest in her public-firmly agreeing with happened. She suddenly departed that he was an architect sho Well, snobbery conquered and appearance but was

always the man who wrote "Marriage this life, and Benedick and his gave a sigh of relief and said:

love-affair the love

abruptly ended. bright and cheerfu; and ready is a tie which hope makes lady-Iwe became husband and

Well then, you and I are the The boy friend told

his lady- to join in any uproar or amuse- beautiful, which happiness pre- wife.

only two in this school who are love exactly what he thought of ment that camne her way.

She

servos, and which misfortune Was that the happy ending. My father is a lawyer, but all come as he hoped it would

daughters of professional men. her, and auld that the day would was quite plain-"I'm the Ugly strengthens"—and that's that!

you may wonder? Alas, am afraid dot, for as a famous writer

the others are in trades or some- when she would bitterly regret wrote "Matrimany is the high at on earth does that expressed it in even stronger being such a fool (I think he sea for which no compass has El yet been invented."

malter?" I inquired, but she terms). He added that he con- there seemed

nable seemed to think it was a matter sidered he was well rid of her! reasonable between these two, the shadow world-only there wasn't such

MD of such great importance it ought cause for things to go wrong to be broadcast all over the of trouble came, before many thing as broadepsting in those months had passed, to blot out the sunshine of happiness...

days!

NO what happened? Well, the To my mind there is at least A happy ending came in the one bright spot in the present most surprising manner after the Jigsaw puzzle state of the world, despised grocer in the white which is that snobbery is rapidly apron had met with a bad acci- dying out. People with common- dont which crippled him for life. sense and of marriage, although because upon me that the only suro path

senie of humour His cob highly educated as he are realising that to be a good had been turned his back on then I hadn't learned

good the enough to happiness was to "wear the brance of the past made him feel mixer, not to be influenced by

future that had about life and its many.

barn sur- white Anwer of a blameless life," prite used to wonder what

was onco arain tted to birth or money, is to And for planned for him, and the firm on earth the men could see in quickly considered

doctrine which I verz

strings. Apron

Perhaps he grouter happiness than those of solicitors in which he had to be dull imagined it was now his tum to her when her sister

still keep themselves one day hoped to be made and untrue, as I much preferred act much more picturesque.

the martinet. It was aloot and consider it a crime to partne; He took on the job of something more colourful and certainly he who made the little marry beneath you" as it has cutting up the bacon and deling attractive.

rift within the lute, and been calles. These now

nut the one ega a week to re- although at first his wife bore folk refuse to be on filendly gistered customers.

conscious

Duckling" 50 she would

humorously describe herself.

and

the hadru merry Twinkle in her nondescript eyes, .whenever she put in an p- pearance she brought with her

a feeling of warmth and good, compeni nship, which her much "more" bchutiful--sister- entirely

1:cked.

It was the Ugly Duckling who, as she began to grow up verived all the attention from

of Creation,

and

SUPPOSE there arc still

this people in world of today who retain some

topsy-turvy thing of the strict Victoriaa iden of morality, and are shocked to death it anyone dares to defy and choose happiness rather than cling to spotless reputation and misery.

the Lords while she was still in her teena In the days of my youth

he had more than Dar nifer was, of course, Armly impressed

in

any

WES

50

19 strange

the

ATTRACTION

TRACTION which use no accounting, Bs we must! all have discovered

but at

rate

the Ugly Duckling married one of the beal-looking and nicest men I have ever known, and though that event took place same years ago he still adores happily her and. think she

in mind was

married-lied

Although 110

TMPOSSIBLE to explain why,

unless it was chiefly the fault of Benedick, because a remont-

ho

can who

_0

*

it with good-humoured tolerance, terms with anyone who keeps a He and his girl friend met

and shop or drops an naturally

or two! quite by chance one day, some disillusioned, and began to Thank heaven there are fewer months after thei: parting, and and fewer of them as the years then apparently the great attrac- tion which they had frst known thousandfold. The returned a silly

snobbery the had known Instantly became as dead as door-nall and she asked him to forgive her and marry her as the knew she could never be happy. without him.

WIJ a atores as if

wor

HORTLY. after the

happened a very attractive gin

last to

from Came

what

13

And

However, let me warn readers that if any of them still have faith in Victorian by-laws they had better turn this page quickly and become absorbed in the answer back! football news or something less

"Serve them right," those who go on. harmful to their outlook on life still retain Victorian ideas of thun the story which I am about morality may think, but must to rel

relate.

confess-advocate as I am for This particular Bencdick I tolerance in marriage-I had to al have

very un smile when one day, not so very D

to the long ago, I came face

to face meet apron-strings is "the

of a wife (who with Mr Benedick rushing who also considered Cat's Whiskers," na he-amusing-

that he wore through one of the big London called "a good family" who could be did he? He certainly did, the trousers). She ly tells her.

a man of great understand- a mad bull was boast that their ancestors were ing and realising that the bad Arul the beautiful sister? domineering, unlovable worma, after him. I barred his way and Well, the is still unmarried, and wh

who made

his lie n

asked in

friends of William the Con- learned her stod. Now they a complete

surprise what was I am afraid she had grown misery, partly perhaps because

qudror-or zomebody equally live over the shop together in little embittoreit and wonders he was not a sufficiently strong This is what he told.ine: "My famous and highly revered, perfect happiness (though of why she should have been so character to attempt to rule her wie and I have had a row about

course her aristocratic parents unkindly left cut in the cold, with a rod of fron--which wa nmned fur coat she wants me

were shocked to the marrow, and To my knowledge there were probably have put an end to the

with them), When business refuse to have anything to do several men to whom the made trouble, open overtures of friendship,

unusually brisk and something no doubt in the hope that it

surprisingly comes off the ratiem, Mrs Groces now cheerfully and windd eventually food to

willingly goes behind the coun greater happiness, only to meet with failure and

ter and lends quite à capable ⚫ment.

hand!

An impoariole story, you may say, and one which tan only end in dislilusionment and the death of love; to which I at once reply: "Nonsense! It's companions ship that makes real happiness.

disappoint- MANY onlookers

wlong

I liked the giri although she spite of the fact that taxation was very high and haughty in had changed her family's way of life. She was profoundly shock ed when one day we visited my local fichmonger together, and he called me "My

to buy for her. Don't stop me I'm running away from her

When I reminded him that not nut so very for

long ngo he had been running after her at even greater wondered speed, he scowled and said:

"Marriage la the vary devil. I

"How can you why ол earth heE

was a fool not to have kept my demanded in horror, and I think it?" she her. We all make freedom." And away he went

choices wrong

she thought I must be off my at

some Oh after you you must first run time or another in life-even days something may happen to her that

well, perhaps one of these rocker when I laughed and told away, which is what the Ugly it is

I liked the man and only by buying hat put things right between these that we were good friends. But found such she had her awakening, which

on holiday and met a Prince Charming who immediately cap- tured her heart,

There is a very frue saying married that if you wont a man to run

*

Duckling did, never allowing which we hate the sight of as herself to show any especial

two who at first

interest in any particular man soon as we get it home-and so happiness together. 1, sincerely began when she was somewhere and not a mansion with centuries

this unhappy Benedick

was

as hope 30.

buf treating them all with the gradually becoming resigned to same cheery "Don't care if you the fact that there was no escape way; we are all

No ure to pass judgment ony- like me or not” attitude, whe

made so dif- Then, suddenly like a ray of foretell which of us will be the his matrimonial misery. ferently, and it's impossible to sunshine, another into his life,

the

or not.

ther it was how she really felt

from

woman come

They wore obviously made to each other, a fict which unfor-

MY cynical spinster friend, lunately Mrs Benedict, who whom I have mentioned more watched her husband's every

eyes of u

than once in these artiedis, still movement with the declares that she utterly falls spiteful and auspicious engle, to see what such an attractive discovered before they realised

the Ugly Duckling's thorhselves.

פן תמות

husband ever saw in her and

started!

Then the trouble why he had tolerated her for Amazingly Benedick did not ro mnhy, years when he must submit as he always had done have met and still meets So to his

his wife's threats of goodness many much

altructive inorę women,

"He ought to havo marrled

knows

what unless he ended the friendship. Instead he rose like

giant refreshed with wino

her sister, she once remarked and for the first time in his life

to me. "They would have made told such a handsome, pair,"

Her

the

As if he was fed

exact truth-that

with up looks matter as long as two he had borne more than enough her, that, fram the f

her so-called "wifely rame angle and have every devotion," and that he wanted a

divorce because

people can see, life

thing in cominón!

I know another woman-not

very young now-who' would

the other woman (not having any Victorian love to Have been married and scruples) had agreed to make it have had a home and family, possible.

But Fate has always been

against her, though once che thought her dream of happiness

sight and, as to often happens in It was apparently love at Arst

NANC

of mobby ancestry in its trail!" Next Saturday:

HE IMAGINED HİHSELP · 18RESISTIBLE

PROBLEMS

wan ubetit to be renilsed,

She had a mon friend who

ID · Mrs

No.

Benedick Agree? She behaved liko

.of

slie believed was devoted to her the infuriated virago the and would one day her own could be, and - marry him,

hör words he muddenly cooled off, the fact that her husband pro.. and no obviously avaiddď hor mured to treat her with great that the realised there was as Bancial generosity. Sho brdored she expressed it with for him dus of the house (which, of bilfernbed, "nothing doing incidentally was his property But did tie: go? of me?" she asked "patholldale Yes, with. ly but naturally I could give ness that it meant the end of no?ádéquale ansiver:

̈such art" tinhappy marrings," "He

*Why do you think he got tired and not found thônkful-i

say Thows no acfami

mum, quila #xTATIO, but

Knacking, you cold""

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