The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-03-10
NELLIES LEAP-YEAR PROPOSAL.

Marys surprise at your behavior. You for
get that you are Franks widow. You are
too forward"
hesitated moment, really anxious To
keep my temper; for l was Franks widow,
and the speaker was his mother.
"Forwardp cried Mary Indeed, you
would have been shocked last night, mother.
Therewas Mr.. Vance urging her to sing, and
acting as if Herbert Halstead was her only
only friend, when it was only as a married
woman"
"Yes," interrupted Julia. 81 think, mo-
Their, if you can't make Kate realize that she
is married, with daughter nearly six years
of age you had better"
"Send me away" broke in, unable longer
to control myself, ''it's not the first time that
hint has been thrown out, and if it were not
for little Nellie, poor child, would go away
to earn my living at once. You drive me
desperate, l declare l will marry again, and
get rid of all this" and then burst into
tears.
Marry againl How will you do it? Oh,
yesl good jokel" cried Julia, with shrug
at my tears. "Don't you see Mary it's leap
yearp and she laughed derisively
Who'll you ask?" sneered Mary "Her-
bert Halstead? Julia, you'd better look out!"
"You may sneer," 1 cried, checking my
tears. was now thoroughly angry. "But
i tell you, If no one would ask me to marry
INN, believe should ask Mr. Halstead,
and-he'd have mel'
L had fairly taken up their own weapons
of personalities which l scorned. The mo-
ment after, ashamed of myself, ran to my
room to put on my bonnet and get out of the
house. looked into the glass, as put the
Grape bonnet, with its widows cap and heavy
veil, on my head. l saw face to which
black was very becoming, though 1t was not
a remarkably pretty face. 1t looked not more
than %, some say not more than 20; but /
was really over "a. Married at Is to Frank
Stevens, L had been petted wife for four
years, and now a widow of two The thought
Of the happiness of the four and the lonlness
of the two, as looked at the face surrounded
by Grape, made the tears come again; but 1
brushed them away resolutely and went out,
knowing that brisk walk would do me
more good than anything else. 1 went out
without my darling, my inseperable
| companion, my little baby girl, Nellie This
| alone showed how troubled was Truth to
tell, was too angry to trust myself 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 child did not understand
me-
Soon after l left, my mother-in-law and
her daughters went out for drive. They
invited Nellie to go, but she feeling, perhaps,
| that they had not treated mamma we'll
refused. Soon the front door bell rang, and
| like all, children, Nellie must run to see
who was there She managed to open the
door herself and there stood her prime favor
lite among the gentlemen that visited the
house, Mr.. Halstead, or as she had called him
since her babyhood, Uncle Herbert He had
been her fathers chum and dearest friend
and loved the child for Franks sake.
Ladies home, Nell2"
"l'm home," she said, "and dess man.
mall be in soon."
avery well. Let's go in the parlor and
have chat"
Nellie sat in his lap, discussing the merits
of cocoanut cakes and sugar almonds little
while; but suddenly dropping her candies in
her lap, she asked: Whats p-leap-leap
Il forget. Do you know what it isl"
Leap? leap frog? leap year2 is that
it?'
eyes. What's It'll"
"Why, it's year when you ladies can ask
the gentlemen to marry you. But you see,
Nellie, you're too younger wouldn't you
ask me?"
ooh, mol 1 wouldn't ask you. Mammals
going to ask you"
The young man nearly dropped the child,
and then folded her close to him. .What do
you mean, darling2" he asked. "Now think,
Nellie, but don't tell Uncle Herbert anything
of your own make up"
"Oh mol really, truly, bless me, she's alive
isn't that what you say when you are true?
WellP-the little tot gave long sigh and
paused, Herbert not daring to interrupt her,
lest she should see his anxiety, and miniature
woman that she was, should refuse to satisfy
him.
"WellP' she repeated, 'you see they does
scold mamma, so they does. To-day morn
ing they NAKED mamma cry, tomorrow (she
would call yesterday tomorrow they scold-
ed her again because she wouldn't ring, and
then they said she war fordard. What's
fordard7"
Forward indeedp calculated Herbert un.
der his breath. "If it had been some others
now. But Nellie, how about leap year"
"Oh, yesl most fordot, didn't II Well,
you see, mamma said-but, oh, Uncle Her
tie kittensl Theys only little sings, wivout
eyes. Come out on the piazza and I'll show
you"
1t was no use to beirnpatient. The young
man knew the child too well for that, and so
they went out and inspected the kittens. Then
he tried to coax Nellie back to the subject.
=" Oh, fordotp she said. "Only they
made mamma say"
What did they say darling7 I'll give
you big doll"
"With real hair2"
Eyes, yes real hair and eyes, and-oh,
nothing. But did they say i wanted to
marry"
"They say mamma wasn't girl, and she
was old; and mamma said--oh, there's man.