Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1872-02-20
Miss ShurtleG's LOdger.

MISS ShUrtieN'S LOdycf.
"ln Japan every man is compelled
to marry as soon as his circumstances
arc such as to support WIFE"
Miss Sophronia Shurtleff laid down
the paper from which she had read
the sentence above quoted, and indulg-
ed in the following comment;
"And very excellent law it is, too.
am sure the japanese are a good
deal more intelligent than people give
them credit for. In that respect it
would be a good idea if Christian gov
ernments would pattern after them. |
only wish | had been born in Japan.
| think its a sin and a shame that a
good-looking girl of thirty-nine-ahem.
mean twenty-nine--should be living
in single blessedness, without hus-
band, or any prospect of one"
Sophronia Shurtleff, as the reader
has learned from her soliloquy, was a
maiden lady in comfortable circum-
stances, and lived in little. cottage
just out of the village of Cherryville.
As to her age, second thoughts might
be most polite, but were not most cor
rect. Though she made it a practice
to call herself twenty-nine, the town
clerk knew by his books that she was
within month of forty. She was
neither fat nor fair, however. Twen-
ty-five additional pounds would have
helped her figure amazingly, and as to
her face, if it had been little less sal
low, the nose a trife shorter, the eyes
less inclined to squint, and the cheeks
little fuller, the improvement would
have been so great that her most inti-
mate friends would not have known
her.
Still Sophronia considered herself
good looking girl" It's a mercy
homely people are unconscious of the
fact. / never knew person that did
not consider themselves at least passa-
Bile, and the uglest man it was ever
my lot to be acquainted with, was per-
petually looking in the looking glass.
Poor man, perhaps he was trying to
get accustomed to his peculiar style of
beauty.
There was one thing in which So
phronia agreed with her neighbors, and
that was if she ever expected to be
married it must be soon. She there
fore determined on q bold strike for q
husband. She had somewhere heard
that if a maintain will not come to
Mahomet, Mahomet must 90 to the
mountain, which, being interpreted
and applied to her own case, clearly
meant that since the beaux made no
advances, she must save them the troub-
lie.
Cherryville was not far from the
city, and being pretty village, was
considerably visited during the sum-
mer months by those who wished TO
ruralize. Now, taking the fact into
consideration, it all at once occurred
to Miss Sophronia that she might let
her front room to young gentleman
during the summer, and-ard-don't
you see, dear reader? OF course they
would be brought together considera-
bly, during the time, and perhaps by
her personal charms and the intima-
tion that she had some money in the
bank, she might induce him to propose
for her hand.
Accordingly the hopeful spinster
had the paint duly cleaned, till it look
ed like wax, the furniture polished,
and actually went to the expense of
new curtains for the front room, trust
ing that it might prove profitable in
vestment. All preparations Of this
nature being concluded, she put
placard in the window intimating that