West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1879-09-06
Nellie's Leap Year Proposal

Really, Catharnc, do not wonder at
Mary S surprise at your behavior. You
forget that you are Franks widow. You
are too forward
hesitated moment, really anxious 10
Keep my temper for | was Franks widow.
and the speaker was his mother.
Forward ~ cried Mary. "Indced. YOU
would have been shocked, last night,
mother There was Mr.. Vance urging her
TO sing, and she hanging back, as If she
were young, bashful girl; and acting as
If Herbert Halstead was her old friend.
when 1t was only as married WOMAN
YES, interrupted Julia, 81 think,
mother, If you can't make Kate realize that
she Is married woman, with "A daughter
nearly six years of age, you had better
'Send me away l broke in, unable
longer To control myself, 'its not the first
time that HINT has been thrown out: and, if
it were not for little Nellie, poor child. |
would 60 away to earn my living at once.
You drive me desperate. declare will
marry again, and get rid of all this"
AMI then burst into tears.
Marry again How will YOU do it
Oh, yes a good joke! ~ cried Julia, with
shrug at my tears. "Don't you sec. Mary.
it's leap year !" and she laughed, derisively
who'll you ask Z" sneercd Mary. ''Hcr-
bert Halstead Julia, you'd better look
out I"
You may sneer, y / cried, checking my
tears / was now thoroughly angry But
| tell you, if no one would ask me 10 marry
him, believe / should ask Mr.. Hastead
and-he'd have me :"
had fairly taken up their own weapsns
of personalities, which / scomed The
moment after, ashamed of myself, / ran tl
my room, TO put ON my bonnet and yet out
of the house. looked i'm the glass, as |
put the Grape bonnet, with its widows can
and heavy veil, ON my head. | saw face
To which black was certainly becoming.
though IL was not "a remarkably pretty face
1t looked not more than twenty-five, some
said not more than twenty but | was
really, little over twenty-four Married
at eighteen to Frank Stevens, had been "A
petted wife for four years, and now "A
widow for two. The thought OF the happi-
ness of the four, and the loneliness of the
two, as ] looked at the face surrounded by
Grape, made the tears come again but I
brushed them away, rcsOlutey, and went
out, knowing that brisk walk would do
me more good than anything else. / went
out without my darling, my inseparable
companion, my little baby girl, Nellie
This alone showed how troubled / WAS
Truth to tell, | was too angry TO trust my
self with the little one, who might have
asked TO have our conversation explained,
for she had been in the room at the time
/ could only hope that, at five years old, "A
child did not understand me-
Soon after left, my mother-in-law and
her daughters went out for a drive They
invited Nellie TO go but she, feeling. per
haps, that they had not treated mamma
well, refused Soon the front door bell
rang, and, like all children, Nellie must
needs run to see who was there She man
aged to open the door herself, and there
stood her prime favorite among the gentle
men that visited the house, Mr.. HalHcad.
or, as she had called him, since her baby
haod, Uncle Herbert. He had been her
fathers chum and dearest friend, and loved
the child for Franks sake.
ladies home Nell b"
''lm home, she said ''and dcss mann.
ma III De i'm soon.
''Very well Let's go in the parlor. and
have a chat"
Nellie sat in his lap, discussing the mcr-
its Of cocOanut cakes and sugar almonds a
little while but suddenly, dropping her
candies in her lap, she asked, "What leap
leap fOrdet Do you know what's
leap Leap frog Leap year Is that
the word 2"
Eyes What is itl"
''Why, its year when YOU ladies can
ask tine gentlemen to marry YOU But you
see, Nellie, you're TOO younger wouldn't
you ask me ~
ooh, mol Iwouldn't ask you. Nam
mas going TO ask yOu'
The young man nearly lydroppcd the child,
and thCu folded her close 90 him, lest Cper-
haps) be should forget her again ''What
do you meas, darling f' hc asked. 'Now
think, Nellie, but don't tell Uncle Herbert
anything make up.
ooh, mo- Really, truly, bless me. sure's
alivc-isn't that what you say when you' Sc
true Well THE little tot gave long
sigh and paused, Herbert not daring to in-
terrupt her, lest she should sec his anxiety.
and, miniature woman chat she was.
should refuse 10 satisfy him.
''Well i' she repeated, "you see. they
dOcs scold my mamma, so they does To
day morning, thev naked mamma cry. and
tomorrow morning, )shc would call yes.
icrday tomorrow, 'thcy scOldcd her
again, because she wouldn't sing, and then
they said She was fordard. What's ford
ard q"
Forward, indeed I" calculated Herbert
under his breath of it bad been some
others now. But Nellie, how about leap
year '
"Oh, yes ! most fordot, didn't ~
We'll, you see, mamma said but, oh, Tn.
Gle Herbert, ! never showed YOU MY two
wccnic, new little kittens Thcy's only
little sings, wivout eyes. Come ont 20 the
piazza and l'll show you
lt was no use to bc impatient The
young man knew the child too well tor that,
and so they went out and inspected the