Helena weekly herald., 1880-02-19
NELLIE'S LEAP YEAR PROPOSAL.

Really, Catharine, don't wonder at Mary s
surprise at your behavior. You forget that
you are Franks widow. You are too for
ward"
l hesitated a moment, really anxious to
keep my temper; for was Franks window,
and the speaker was his mother.
''FOrWard!" !" cried Mary. 'Indeed, you
would have been shocked last night, mother.
There was Mr.. Vance urging her to sing, and
acting as ii Herbert Halstead was her only
friend, when it was only a married woman
''Yes," interrupted Julia. Il think, moth
er, if you can't make Kate realize that she j.
married, with daughter nearly six years os
age, you had better"
Send me away" 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 des-
perate, declare | will marry again, and get
rid of all this" and then l burst into tears
marry again! How will you do it? Oh,
yes! good joke!" cried Julia, with a shrug
at my tears Don't you see, Mary, it's leap
year" and she laughed derisively.
who'll you ask? sneered Mary. "Her-
bert Halstead? Julia, you'd better look
out!"
You may sneer,' l cried, checking my
tears, was now thoroughly angry. "But
tell you, it no one should ask me to marry
him, l believe / should ask Mr.. Halstead,
and-he'd haYe me"
had fairly taken up their own weapons of
personalities which scorned. The moment
after, ashamed of myself, ran to my room
to put on my bonnet and get out of the house.
looked in the glass as l put on the Grape
bonnet, with its widows Cap and veil on my
head, and saw face to which black was
very becoming, though it was not remarka-
bly, pretty face. 1t looked not more than %,
some said not more than twenty but l was
really over "a. Married at Is to Frank Ste
vens, l had been a petted wife for four years,
and now widow for two. The thought of
the happiness of the four and the loneliness
of the Two, as looked at the face surround
ed by Grape, made the tears come again but
brushed them away resolutely and went out
knowing that brisk walk would do me
more good than anything else. I went out
without my darling, my inseparable compan-
ion, my little baby girl, Nellie. This alone
showed how troubled l was. Truth to tell,
was too angry to trust myself with the little
one, who might have asked to have our con-
versation explained. for she had been in the
room at the time. could only hope that at
five years old child did not understand me-
Soon after left, my mother-in-law and
her daughters went out for drive. They in
vited Nellie to 60, but she feeling, perhaps,
that they had not treated mamma well, refus-
ed. Soon the front door-bell rang, and like
all children, Nellie must run to see who was
there. She managed to open the door her
self, and there stood her prime favorite
among the gentlemen who visited the house,
MIR. 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, Nell? ?"
''lm home she said, sand l dess mamma
IL be in soon."
Every 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 leap-leap-
leap, fordet. Do you know what's it P"
"Leap leap frog? leap year? Is that it?"
eyes. What is it?
"Why, it's year when you ladies can ask
the gentlemen to marry you. But you see,
Nellie, you're too young-or wouldn't you
ask me p
"Oh. no! wouldn't ask you. Mammals
going to ask you"
The young man nearly dropped the child,
and then folded her close to him, lest per-
haps he should forget her again. 'What do
you mean, darling ?" he asked. ''Now think,
Nellie, but don't tell Uncle Herbert anything
of your own make up"
"Ob, no! really, truly, bless me, she's
alive-isn't that what yoa say when you are
true? Well l"-the little tot gave o long
sigh and paused, Herbert not daring to inter-
rupt her, lest she should see his anxiety, and
miniature woman that she was, should re-
fuse to satisfy him.
s'Well!" she repeated, 'tyou see they does
scold mamma, so they does. To-day morn
ing they naked mamma cry, tomorrow (she
would call yesterday to-morrow) they scold-
ed her because she wouldn't sing, and then
they said she was fordard. What's fordard ?"
Forward, iDdeed!" calculated Herbert,
under his breath. ''If it had been some
others now. But Nellie, how about leap
year p
sob, yes / most fordot, didn't l? Well,
you see, mamma said-but, oh, Uncle Her.
bert, never showed you my two vicente new
kittens! They's only little sings. wivout
eyes. Come out on the piazza and I'll show
vou."
1t was no use to be impatient. The young
nan knew the child too well for that. and SO |
hey went out and inspected the kittens. Then |
,e tried to coax Nellie back to the subject
"Oh, fordot!" she said. ''Only they |
made mamma say"
"What did they say darling3 : I'll give you |
/ big doll"
with real hair 2"
"Yes, yes! Real hair and eyes, and-ob,
nothing. But did they say wanted TO mar
y"
"They say mamma wasn't girl, and she