Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-10-02
A Leap-Year Incident in Aurora,
Illinois


Without in the least disturbing our cogita-
tons, picked it up and began languidly to
doze over its columns, when my eye alighted
on the following paragraph which, old bach
elor-like, | felt quite enough interest in to
read aloud to my companion
"TAKE THE LoT.-The young ladies of
Aurora, Illinois, have resolved that if they
didn't get married this year-leap year-sOme
body would be to bame. The senior class
in Williams College have sent a communica-
ton to the Aurora paper offering to take the
lot. They say that now, having been four
years under college discipline, exiled from al
most all intercourse with the fac smiles Of
Adams rib, we think, with Shakespeare, that
there is "a tied in the affairs of men, and
that the time for that knot has come to u.s."
No sooner had / finished than Abort,
with merry chuckle-nobody can chuckle
like him when he chuckles he chuckles
all over-tapped me on the shoulder and ex-
claimed:
"By Jupiter! Seth, thereby hangs tale !''
"Ah, ha !" said l.
"Would you like to hear it ?p
'Of course, if there is any end to it, and
any point to the end"
"Well, there are both, according to my way
of thinking Anyhow, with permission, I'll
tell the yarn. OF course you know where
Aurora is--one of the smartest towns in all
the West? 1t lies just below Geneva, on the
Fox River, and is in Kane county. Whether
the county was named after or for the North
Pole Kane, and the town called Aurora be-
cause the Aurora Borealis shines brighter at
said pole than anywhere else, is a question
that soma future nomenclators may discuss ::
but one little item you may bet your life on
they raise the Frettiest girls that ever made
fellows mouth water"
"How do you know?'
allow do | know? Wasn't I at Geneva
this last winter one whole month on business?
and was | not out at Aurora every other day,
to see our old friend, Jack Spaulding. who
has just hung out his shingle there and gone
int the practice of the law-or, rather intends
to, when he gets case? OF course l was !;
and as Jack is death among the women, he
trotted me all around. All, Seth, you ought
to go to Aurora-you ought
"But the tale"
"Why, you see, one glorious afternoon,
when it - just cold enough out doors to
make it comfortable by Jacks old franklin,
while he was doing away over--somebody,
forget who, no matter-on Contracts, and
engaged in my usual occupation, reading
Dickens, suddenly there came a tapping as
Of some one gently rapping at the office
door. Jack, while visions of a fair client
who wanted to get divorce, or get rid of
testy guardian, filled his mind, cried Come
in p and in walked two special constables of
Cupid.
Zone was a noble looking girl-eyes as
dark as the future to fellow who doesn't
know where his next meal is to come from,
and cheeks deeply red as Cambridge pro-
fessor. All, Seth, she was perfect Goddess;
the other-we.l, L won't say anything about
the other, for she hasn't much to do with my
story ?''
"But how came they there?''
"Why, up The stairs and through the door,
to be sure but their object?'
"Yes, their object ~
"Why, that was to invite us-yes, Jack
and me, to leap year ride-ball, supper and
all of that
"You H'
ayes, me and she of the black ewes, too,
was the identical one who would be very
happy to have my company on little sleigh
ride to Geneva, to wind up with little warm
flip, hop at IS, and slide home by
starlight"
did you go?"
"Did l go? Jack went, and could l back
out! Besides, 1t isn't every day a man gets
such an offer. At five P. NJ. we started-one
Of the merriest crews that ever went any.
where; thirty single sleighs-they don't &c
in for your great double arks there. With q
hip and hurrah, off we sped, and over the
road we skinned, like comet dsshine
along the milkyway The girls were excel
lent whips, and my black-eyed Kate was
'Genessee Mills, extra superfne.' She had
selected her steed with admirable taste--'
GAS well as her beau"
"Get out His neck arched like tht
Thames Tunnel, and his broad breast marke &c
his noble strength, while his slender legs TOLD
| you volumes for his swiftness, which wer'
backed up by the very example. We wen
by them ALIVE did-and Kate led the granC
procession, prouder, dare say, than any Ju
Illus ever was of any Roman triumph
what did you talk of on the road ?''
"Of the weather, the delightful sleighing
the differences in horses, &c. After suppe
came the hop-well, now, it was a hop-non
of your tame parlor dances, through which
the parties 60 with the same precision tina
two or three old chess-players move, VIII,
have played draw-games for the last hal
ceptury-no, sir 1t was regular Western
hop--but if you want it described any further
you must do it yourself, words can't expires
tit was action, action, sublime, God-lik
action'-thats what it was. But, like every
thing else. it had an end, and we were of O.
the road again." .ra
"And here | must confess that had bee
somewhat coquettish during the evening, an
had with no little satisfaction seen thos
black eyes on me wherever moved, wit
whomsoever danced, and on whomsoever
smiled. Was 1 wrong to enjoy it ? Ho'
often had been served in the same way
And when it came to 60, of course L couldni
find my overcoat, and my hat was missing
SO called to nv aid half dozen misse
who sort of half hunted for them and ha
not, and under the shawl of one of whom
at last discovered the one, and under that Q
another the other-Kate all the while stand
ing by, and looking as demure as l have
thousand times under similar circumstance;
And then l got into the wrong sleigh, G
} course, by accident, as you will, no doub
when tell you | slapped the naughty gil
who kissed me for being where my room wa
better than my company, as she laughingl
said. Kate, meanwhile, quietly standing wit
the ribbons in one hand, and ready with th
: other to help me in.
"But as l said before, at last we were o
the road again; but what a change had com
over the spirit of Kate. On her way up sh
was all talk, mirth and fire; now, she was a
silence, abstraction and gentleness. Her yer
steed caught her sentiments, and, although b
started off ahead, the acknowledged leader {
the party, half mile had not been gone b
fore every one was past him and far gone OF
of sight"
OF Courage is bad for the health. Sho
us prize-fghter, and we will show you
gentleman who is troubled with bruise
head more than half his time. 1t is only til
timid that reach old age. The man who IRA
away at the battle of Saratoga is living We
aged ninety three. His brother, who wishe