CHAPTER XVI.

THE CROWNING ACT OF HEROISM.

One second more and her act would have been fatal.

Marion caught the child and sprang back like a flash. The next instant, with a crash that echoed block after block, the mammoth box of iron struck the walk where the child had stood and actually telescoped its way straight through the pavement into the cellar.

There was not a sound for the space of a second, then the frightened bystanders recovered their voices and a cheer went up that was swelled from every direction. A policeman was just in time to catch the child’s mother as she fainted, and at that moment a handsome carriage drove up, with the coachman pale with apprehension.

“You had better go home with her, miss, for she has fainted,” said the officer. “I’ll have to send for an ambulance if there is no one to go with her.”

“She has only fainted,” said Marion, calmly, “but I’ll go home with her with pleasure, if I can be of any assistance.”

Some one had brought a glass of water, and the lady was rapidly reviving.

“Do come home with me, dear,” she said, turning to Marion.

The officer assisted them into the carriage, and again the crowd swung their hats and cheered the brave girl to the echo. Two hours later Marion burst into the little furnished room where Dollie sat, waving a check for a thousand dollars in her hand, and with tears of joy glistening on her dark lashes.

“Oh, Dollie! Dollie!” she cried, hysterically, “I saved a rich woman’s child from getting killed, and she has made me a present of a thousand dollars!”

Dollie stared at her in absolute amazement, and at that very moment in rushed Miss Allyn.

“Oh, you darling girl! You have been and made a heroine of yourself again!” she cried, happily. “And to think I had only been in town an hour when I saw you do that heroic deed and got another ‘exclusive’ in the evening paper!”

The girls were both hugging and kissing her, but she went on talking rapidly.

“Poor mother left me a little money, girls, enough to pay my bills, if I get out of work, but I’m back on my paper in the same old job, and I’ve got the promise of a position for Dollie.”

“You thought of us the very first thing, of course,” said Marion, laughing. “It wouldn’t be you if you were not doing us a kindness.”

“Oh, come off!” cried Miss Allyn, in her characteristic slang. “Why, Marion, you’re a treasure! I’m constantly making money out of you! Why, I couldn’t begin to tell how much I have made out of your exploits!”

There was a rap on the door and Bert Jackson came in.

“Hurrah! I’ve heard all about it!” he cried, delightedly. “It’s all in the paper, and they say you are a daisy! I do hope that woman rewarded you, Marion.”

“She wrote me up,” said Marion, as she introduced him to Miss Allyn, “and the rich woman gave me a thousand dollars.”

Bert did a “two-step” around the room to show his appreciation.

“Now, what the mischief will you do with so much money, Marion?” he asked, jokingly.

“Pay off the mortgage on father’s farm for the first thing,” was the girl’s prompt reply, “and then there’ll be five hundred left for Miss Allyn and Dollie and me, and I guess we’ll find a way to spend it.”

“You must buy some city clothes,” said Bert, with unusual gravity. “I’m just dying to see how you and Dollie will look in swell togs. You are too deucedly pretty to go around looking so dowdy!”

There was a general shout at Bert’s honest words, but through it all Miss Allyn was gazing at Marion admiringly.

“Do you know what I think?” she asked, rather curtly. “Well, I’ll tell you, Miss Marion Marlowe, and you can thank me or not. I think that paying off your father’s mortgage is your crowning act of heroism!”

Just then a messenger boy knocked on the door and handed in a letter.

“It is from Ralph,” said Dollie, blushing as she looked it over. “He has been forgiven freely by his aunt, and is coming over to see me this evening.”

“And I have a letter from Mr. Ray,” said Marion, drawing one from her pocket. “He says that they are all growing steadily ‘fat and happy,’ and that his sister Ada has a brand new lover, who isn’t such a cad as the other fellow.”

“Is that all he says?” asked Miss Allyn, slyly.

Marion’s sweet face crimsoned to the roots of her hair.

“I’ll not tell you,” she said, laughing, “for I know your tricks. You’d trot right down town and put it in the paper.”

And in this pleasant manner a long, dreary struggle ended. Marion Marlowe had proved herself a heroine in more ways than one, and now, with her friends about her, and a brighter outlook before her, the courageous girl was enjoying a little respite.

THE END.

No. 3 of My Queen will be entitled “Marion Marlowe’s True Heart; or, How a Daughter Forgave.” If you are pleased with Marion and her adventures, the publishers trust you will continue to read her career from week to week.

Questions and Answers

BY

GRACE SHIRLEY

Note.—This department will be made a special feature of this publication. It will be conducted by Miss Shirley, whose remarkable ability to answer all questions, no matter how delicate the import, will be much appreciated, we feel sure, by all our readers, who need not hesitate to write her on any subject. Miss Shirley will have their interests at heart and never refuse her assistance or sympathy.

The following letters are a few which we have received from time to time, addressed to the editors of our different publications, the answers to which will be found interesting.

Street & Smith.

“I am a young man of eighteen, and perhaps you will think that I should go to a man for advice in my troubles, but I have read your letters to young women and am of the opinion that your advice would be better than that of any man I ever met. I have been paying attention to a young lady for six months and have tried to be a model lover. I only earn eight dollars a week, but I have taken her to picnics and bought ice cream and soda for her frequently, yet she does not seem to care more for me than for the other young men whom she meets. Do you think it wise for me to try any longer to win her affection?

“Alfred K.”

We are very pleased to receive your letter and assure you that our sympathies are with all young men in their troubles. No—we would not advise you to waste any more time on the young lady in question as she does not seem to appreciate your efforts; but you must bear in mind that no amount of ice cream will buy affection. If the young lady does not love you for yourself alone, you cannot win her over even though you were to invest your whole eight dollars in sugary inducements. We would advise you to save the money you are now spending in this way in order to buy groceries for some other young lady who, we hope, will better appreciate your devotion in the future.

“You have been so helpful in your answers to others who have written you for advice that I know you will help me out with my trouble.

“We have been married two years, and I had my husband’s attention until recently. Now he seems to find more pleasure in chatting with other women when we spend an evening out than he does in talking with me. I have no idea that he is unfaithful, but I want him all to myself. How can I make myself more interesting?

“Mrs. Alice M.”

We would suggest that you let your affection for your husband work out its own salvation. You will surely have cause to congratulate yourself more if he prefers you after seeing other women than if he saw only you. It is no compliment to a woman to stick to her because she is the only woman in sight. If your husband talks with other women and yet gives you no cause to doubt him you have the best possible proof that you are more attractive to him than any one else.

We think that you are probably over-jealous, and that your husband only fulfills the requirements of society in making himself agreeable to the women he meets. You should do exactly the same as he does—make the most of others’ company when you meet them at any social function, and be more than happy when you and your husband are alone together and can exchange those mutual loving confidences that are so gratifying.

“I have read with interest your letters of advice to others and hope that you will be kind enough to advise me in my trouble. My husband earns fifteen dollars a week, and after our expenses are paid there are four dollars left, out of which I only receive one for spending money. As I work very hard to economize for him, do you not think that he should divide more evenly? I have asked him, and he says that one dollar a week pin money is enough for any woman.

“Mrs. A. H. B.”

We are very sorry indeed to hear that these troubles exist between you and your husband. The question of finances has broken up many a family. We can only advise you to reason with your husband and try to convince him that his own dignity requires that his wife should be possessed of sufficient funds to enable her to escape humiliation when in company with other women whose husbands are in similar financial circumstances.

“I have read your letters to other young women and take the liberty of asking you to kindly answer this: I became engaged to a young man about six months ago. He gave me a beautiful engagement ring of sapphires and diamonds. Now I want to break the engagement and do not want to give him back the ring. Would it be mean in me to keep it? I do not think he will ask for it.”

It looks to us very much as though you cared for the young man’s ring more than you did for him. Did you promise to marry him in order to get the bauble? A young girl who will let her vanity carry her to such an extent is deserving of the severest censure; but we trust that in your case we are mistaken. Send him back the ring by all means! It was given you as the emblem of your devotion. If you do not love him, you have no right to wear it. Do not lower the standard of your sex by such a foolish action.

“I am a young lady of fourteen, and a young man I know is very fond of me. My mother tells me that I am too young to think of such things, and insists that I shall go to school for two years longer. Now, as she was married at fourteen, I do not think she ought to stop me from marrying for I feel very sure that I should be perfectly happy with Charley. Please tell me what you would advise.

“Lizzie C.”

In the first place, Lizzie, we would suggest that you speak of yourself as a young girl, not as a “young lady.” No girl can be a “lady” who ignores her mother’s sensible advice. You certainly should go to school for several years longer. You are entirely too young to think of marrying. Your mother was probably a far wiser girl at your age than you are. Try to develop your character and learn as much as you can. When you are twenty years of age you will make a far better choice of a husband than you can possibly do now.

“I am spending the fall months in the Pennsylvania mountains. There are a lot of young men at the hotel here, and we have straw rides two or three times a week. Now, we girls always try to have a jolly time, and we do let the boys kiss and hug us when we are off on a ride. Last night a lady stopping at the same house as myself saw us and she read me a terrible lecture on what she called ‘my loose conduct.’ Do you think there is any real harm in a little innocent fun like that? She threatened to write to my parents and have me sent home.

“Jessie C. M.”

It is true that young girls have been kissed and hugged since the world began, and it is doubtful if this form of amusement does the amount of harm that is popularly supposed, especially when the intent is innocent. The stolen kiss is far more dangerous to morality than that bestowed openly in the presence of one’s companions. No doubt the lady you speak of meant her lecture for your good, but we trust that her language was not merited. You should learn to be judicious and avoid the appearance of evil. One thing is certain—the young lady who holds herself aloof from undue familiarity, and maintains a reasonable amount of maidenly reserve, stands a better chance of winning the permanent affections of some good man than does the one who is too free with her favors.

“One of the nicest fellows in the world has been paying attention to me for over a year, he has never said outright that he loves me, but I know he does from the way he acts. A short time ago I met another fellow that I liked pretty well, and went out with him once or twice. Now the first one has threatened to shoot himself if I go out with the other any more. I don’t want him to do anything rash, and yet I do enjoy an occasional evening out with my new acquaintance. How can I adjust my conduct so as to suit my old beau for whom I really care a great deal?

“Adeline.”

We do not think your old friend will do what he threatens, as this line of conduct is confined solely to madmen and imbeciles.

If he belongs to either of these classes the sooner you are rid of him the better. It is too much of a responsibility for you to be forever trying to prevent a man from blowing his brains out. Until he declares his love and asks your hand in marriage there is no occasion for your being over careful of his feelings.

“I am greatly interested in your correspondence department, and although I am an old maid of thirty-five I write to ask you a serious question: Is an ‘old maid’ really such an object of ridicule as we are led to believe? I have been self-supporting for twenty years, and able to help many married women and children whose husbands and fathers could not support them. Is there not something else in the world just as praiseworthy as matrimony?

“Miss C.”

We are delighted to get this honest letter! There is no woman more noble than a self-supporting, humanity-helping “old maid,” and yet we must take exception to this term in your case. You are at the prime of life—the age when the average woman is most able and loveable. If it were not for the numbers of helpful women like yourself we shudder to think of what would become of some of the married women and children. We have seen whole families lean for mental, moral and financial support upon some “old maid aunt” or sister. The woman who has “hoed her own row” deserves the sympathy, admiration and respect of the entire universe. When she does marry she will be to her husband a “pearl beyond price,” a helpmeet and companion whose value is inestimable.

“I am very much distressed over what you may deem a trifling matter; nevertheless, I am coming to you for advice, my dear Miss Shirley.

“I am engaged to be married to a very nice appearing young man, but on several occasions I have seen him kick dogs and cats, and as I am a great lover of animals, it has troubled me greatly. I am almost afraid to trust my happiness in his hands. Do you think I am foolish or a ‘crank’ for feeling as I do?

“Isabel.”

“A merciful man is merciful to his beast.” No, we do not think you are foolish or a “crank.” On the contrary, we are sure you are a very wise little woman.

The person who abuses an animal is more of a brute than the animal abused. We have no words in which to express our disgust of the monster. If you can not bring this young man to your way of thinking you would do well not to marry him.

“I am in deep trouble and need help. You have been so considerate of others that I know you will assist me in my misery.

“I am nearly twenty-five years old, and have been ‘heart whole and fancy free’ until this summer when I fell in love with a man who, unhappily for me, is already married, but who returns my love. We are both of us unhappy and miserable except on the few occasions when we can be alone together. I cannot think that I am right to love him, but at the same time I feel that I cannot give him up, and he says that he will never relinquish me. What can we do to improve our miserable position?

“Fannie D. F.”

Unfortunately, the story of your love is not an uncommon one. The little god Cupid is no respecter of persons or conditions, and he not infrequently works sad havoc with the peace and harmony of the family. We do not believe any one is to blame for falling in love, but we do not hesitate to say that a man and woman situated as you are are guilty of the gravest offense when you encourage an affection which can only result in misery to some one. Both men and women ofttimes marry hastily only to repent at leisure, but no self-respecting girl will allow herself to be to blame for that repentance if she can avoid it. We would advise you to discontinue meeting this man at once, as no good will come of your further acquaintance. Try and interest yourself in some worthy young man who has no obligations elsewhere, and in the end we are sure you will be much happier. If you find that you cannot overcome your love you can at least suffer and be brave, and so uphold the standard of honor in woman.

“Were you ever in love, Miss Shirley? For if you have been I know you will be able to understand my trouble. I have had a sort of understanding with a young man for nearly three years without our being actually engaged. Recently he has shown great attention to another girl, and I am left alone much of the time. None of the other fellows care to show me any attention as I have been so devoted to my lover that I have barely treated them civilly. I feel as if I had wasted all my best opportunities and had really no hope left in life. Can you not show me some way to win back my lover?

“Irene S.”

We are afraid that your own deportment has been your undoing. Evidently your attentions to the young man have been too pronounced and he has tired of the love which he held so easily. Owen Meredith says that “man’s heart is like that delicate weed, that needs to be trampled on boldly indeed—ere it give forth the fragrance you wish to extract.”

Perhaps if you had not shown such marked preference for his company you would have proven more interesting, as the spice of uncertainty is pleasing to most masculine natures. You had better treat his “change of heart” with total indifference, and perhaps in this way you will re-awaken his interest.

“I am a salesgirl in a large store and I have read ‘My Queen, No. 1,’ with a great deal of pleasure. I wish I could meet a few girls like Marion Marlowe, but, alas! they do not often grow behind dry goods counters! Some of the girls I meet are nearly all very coarse in their manners, and a few of them are positively vulgar. Why is it that the girls or so many of them who work in the big stores are so dreadfully rude and use such shocking language? It seems to me that there is no excuse for using profanity or telling improper stories, and yet they are both common occurrences, especially in the lunch rooms. Can you not do something to make them different? Please scold them a little in your correspondence department.

“Priscilla S.”

We are very sorry indeed to hear that your associates are so undesirable, but we think that instead of telling tales about them you should be talking to them kindly and urging them to be better. No good will ever come of scolding the girls, and Grace Shirley loves them far too dearly to ever scold them. The poor things inherit much of their wickedness, and their poverty-stricken, uncared-for lives have made them bitter. If you would read the story “For Gold or Soul” (No. 18 Street & Smith’s Alliance Library), we think it would do you good. It will tell you how one young girl in a department store did a great deal of good, and in such a way that it made everybody love her. Do not set yourself up to be better than the girls, but just try to make them better in a gentle, Christ-like manner.

“I am receiving attentions from two young men who have both proposed marriage to me. They are very different in disposition, and I am at a loss which to decide upon. One of them is quite poor, but tries to do all he can for both my mother and myself, and when he is at our house to supper insists on helping me wipe the dishes, and little things like that. The other has a better position and more salary, but he turns up his nose at a man who does anything about the house, and always sits on the piazza and smokes until we are through the work. Mother says the first fellow is the best, but the last one seems more manly to me. Please tell me your opinion?

“Pauline B.”

We quite agree with your mother’s judgment. Some of the bravest men we know are the most thoughtful of trifles, and any little thing that a man can do to lighten the burdens of others is manly. We would not care to see a man wiping dishes or making beds for a living, but his ability to do these things does not detract from his manliness. Women help their husbands with their accounts, and in many of the so-called masculine vocations without losing an iota of their womanly charm. There is no reason why a husband should be less a man because he occasionally assists his wife in her household duties.

“Do you think it wrong for a wife to try to earn money? My husband’s salary just barely supports us, and I have hard work to get any clothes, even with the greatest possible economy. I could earn several dollars a week teaching music, but my husband objects, and claims that if I work it will be a reflection upon him and that he will consider that I have deliberately insulted him. He does the best he can, and gives me all he earns, but it is not enough for our needs. I will not deceive him about it, but would I be wronging him if I insisted upon earning my own pin money?

“Dorothy J.”

We see no harm in a woman earning money if she desires. Your husband seems possessed of a peculiar kind of pride. If he is not able to support you properly he should place no obstacle in the way of your supporting yourself. Explain your motives to him freely and no doubt he will soon come to your way of thinking.

“Won’t you advise me in a matter that is perplexing me? I had a quarrel with my sweetheart a week ago, and declared that I would never see him nor write to him again. Since we broke I have been most unhappy, and I am now firmly convinced that I love him and am anxious to have him back. He is as proud as can be, and I know he will never come unless I send for him. Do you think that I would lose his respect if I wrote him to come back or ought I to stick it out in spite of the fact that I love him. I have gotten all over my anger, but I do hate to break my word.

“Lulu H.”

A victory over one’s self is better than “sticking out” a foolish quarrel. It is far more womanly to forgive than not to if there is no real cause for anger, and to say “I was mistaken” is simply to say, “I am wiser to-day than yesterday.” Your lover will probably value your sweetness of disposition more if you make the first advances towards reconciliation. A foolish resolution cannot be too quickly broken, but Grace Shirley’s best advice is to try and avoid quarrels hereafter by both of you giving in a little at the start.

“I have read the correspondence department of ‘My Queen’ with a great deal of interest, and have decided at last to ask you a question. Has a poor girl a right to take money from a man when it is offered in the kindest and most gentlemanly spirit? I am working at present for six dollars a week and of course it is very difficult for me to live in comfort and still dress neatly. The young man whom I am engaged to knows my condition perfectly and until we are married he insists upon helping me. I have been roundly censured for accepting his aid, and that is why I ask my question.

“Carrie L.”

We are very glad indeed to answer this question. The man who professes to love a girl and then sits calmly by and watches her struggle without so much as an offer of timely assistance is in our opinion a “mental monstrosity.” Any lover with a heart in his breast will help the girl he loves, and the greater her necessities the greater will be his assistance. A self-respecting girl does not like to take financial aid, but she would be foolish to refuse it if it meant bread and butter. We are all “creatures of circumstance” and environment in great measure. Good positions are not to be had for the asking, nor is genuine worth and talent always rewarded. A true man always longs to protect the woman he loves, and no such man will ever be dissuaded from bestowing needed assistance because of the sickly twaddle of narrow-minded people. Of course, the indiscriminate practice of taking money from men is quite another matter, as some men are only too glad to place a girl under obligations to them. A good girl can usually determine the motive of the giver, and we would advise her to be very careful in accepting such assistance.

“I have been engaged to a young man for a year, and I now discover that he has an invalid mother that he expects me to take care of as soon as we are married. I am very fond of my lover, but I am not very strong. Do you think it is my duty to marry him and make a slave of myself for the sake of his mother?

“Lizzie C.”

No, we do not think it your duty, Lizzie. The man who loves you truly will never allow you to be a slave either to his mother or any one else. If his mother is an invalid, let him hire a nurse for her. A woman has quite enough to do to care for herself and her husband without looking out for any of his or her relatives. Too many homes have been spoiled already by these methods.

Talk to your lover kindly but decidedly, and let him understand your feelings exactly. If he says you do not love him you may depend upon it he is selfish. Ask him if he would be willing to do the same if the invalid was your mother. The average man does not seem to understand that it is quite enough for one woman to be a wife and keep her own little home in “apple-pie” order. You must educate him, but you will have to accomplish this with tact, else he will never admit it.

“Please allow me to tell you my ‘tale of woe,’ and then, if you can, I want you to advise me. I am almost sixteen, and I work in a store, but there is a rich man in town who says he wants to marry me. This man has bachelor apartments, and he has taken me to them twice. The rooms are beautiful, and I would dearly love to live there. I do not love him, but I would like to be his wife and live in those pretty rooms. The last time I was there he gave me some wine, and he says if I will come there and be his wife I can have everything lovely. Now, all this is nice, but he does not say when he will marry me. Do you think I can trust him to marry me at all? I shall be dreadfully disappointed if he doesn’t, but if he wants me so badly, why doesn’t he set the wedding-day and hurry our marriage?

“Ada.”

If you were a year younger, Ada, we would ask the Gerry Society to look after you! Please send me your address and let me come and talk to you, for I am very much afraid that you are on the high road to destruction. It seems incredible that a girl, even of your tender years, should not understand this man, and we wonder that you do not fly from him as you would from a pestilence. Please, Ada, do not go to his rooms again! You will rue it if you do, of that we are certain. We would also like you to send us this fellow’s address, as we are sure he is a rascal and should be watched by the authorities. We only hope that your letter tells all. Do not fail to write again, and give us your address.

MY QUEEN

A Weekly Journal for ... Young Women

CONTAINING THE FAMOUS

Marion Marlowe Stories

MARION MARLOWE is a beautiful and ambitious farmer’s daughter, who goes to the great metropolis in search of fame and fortune. One of the most interesting series of stories ever written; each one complete in itself, and detailing an interesting episode in her life.

Published Weekly. Edited by Grace Shirley.

CATALOGUE

1—From Farm to Fortune; or, Only a Farmer’s Daughter. _Issued Sept. 27th_

2—Marion Marlowe’s Courage; or, A Brave Girl’s Struggle for Life and Honor. _Issued Oct. 4th_

3—Marion Marlowe’s True Heart; or, How a Daughter Forgave. _Issued Oct. 11th_

4—Marion Marlowe’s Noble Work; or, The Tragedy at the Hospital. _Issued Oct. 18th_

5—Marion Marlowe Entrapped; or, The Victim of Professional Jealousy. _Issued Oct. 25th_

6—Marion Marlowe’s Peril; or, A Mystery Unveiled. _Issued Nov. 1st_

Thirty-two pages, and beautiful cover in colors. =Price, five cents per copy.= For sale by all newsdealers.

STREET & SMITH, Publishers,

238 William Street, New York City.

Transcriber’s Notes

Minor punctuation and printer errors repaired.

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_ and bold text by =equal signs=.