Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-01-04
A CONSPICUOUS OPPORTUNITY.
"Why don't 1 get married?''

Why don i get marrleu!
al wonder if there is any process of
law or condition of ethics that can pro-
tect me from that question: and Miss
Margaret Winthrop turned sharply
round and looked ut her brother-in-law
as if for reply.
DIR. Ainslec looked up from his paper
with an expression that evinced GER
tain enjoyment of the chase, rather
than sympathy with the pursued, and
answered.:
''Yes, there is one means of escape"
"And that is to get married, | sup
pose?n
Exactly"
Miss Winthrop was not soothed by the
suggestion. She regarded it as an un-
wholesome state of civilization in which
a woman with handsome income and
n natural bias toward contentmcnt
could not pursue her own course with
out being headed off at every turn w.th
that imbecile query. Among her friends
she was spoken OF Us ecceuurlc, Il woman
who unfortunately bad ideas; and,
while possessing inestimable advanta-
ges. had signally failed to make any use
of them. This allure was all the more
conspicuous from the fact that in her
first season she had promised much.
She had allowed brilliant opportunities
to slip through her fingers one by one
until she had brought the reproach of
spinsterhood upon Il family tn 1t within
the memory of man had married its
daughters young and well, and, for any
thing the world knew to the contrary,
happily. She was twenty-eight to-day.
This was the view taken of the situa-
tion by her friends. Miss Winthrop re-
gard d it from n different point of OBJ
servation. She knew many things that
the world could not know concerning
the alleged felicity of various members
of her family, past and pres mt, who
had married early and "well." Then
there was the inevitable entail of care
and suffering. Why any sane woman
should fly precipitately into the conse-
quences of marriage when she had the
benefit of other peoples exp .rience as
n warning was something Miss Win
throp had never understood and did not
seek to explain. She had all q woman $
horror of being called an sold maid, ="
though the immunities of spinsterhood
were at times alluring. 1t had never
been her deliberate intention to Join the
ranks of the belated sisterhood. Of
course she intended to marry at some
time, but why be in haste? Did not
every married woman of her acquaint-
anee admit that courtship was the most
delightful part of all, and that antici-
pations of post-nuptial felicity were apt
to resolve themselves into an unsatis-
factory anti-climaxp OF course, no
well-regulated woman wanted to be an
old maid, but conceive the want of
fores ght in the woman who married
her tlrst lover. thus putting it out OF
her power To en- 'oy aga n the delightful
experience of courtshIp, when by re ect-
ing him she could go on repeating il
indefinitely with fresh sub ects and un-
der an infinite variety of conditions.
She that loves and runs away
VIII live to love another day
was Miss Winthrop's motto; that mar
riage was, like death, thing to be de.
ferred as long as possible and accepted
finally rs a heroic remedy for something
worse was her philosophy. Being
twenty-eight TO day she felt that the
time had come for heroic measures.
She did not look day over twenty.
Her hair was the same soft tint OF
brown that it had always been her
cheek had a firmness of contour and a
delicate blush upon il that might have
belonged to a girl OF seventeen; the
beauty which had made her conspicu.
Gus as debutante gave no signs OF ap.
preaching deterioration, but what did
all this amount to when everybody
knew she was twenty-eigbt, and at
tested with exasperating indelicacy thai
she was remarkably well preserved >
She could not possibly put it off mucf
longer, and yet she felt certan shr nix
ing from her destiny-as the hand of &
suicide might recoil from its instrument
---as she began TO review mentally The
opportunities remaining to her.
Money Is no object" she exclaimed
at last. 81 want freedom, and the onl,
condition compatible with perfect free
dom is widowhood. Unfortunately W.
cant be born widows, and the odd,
against being left widow without in
cumbrance are inGnity TO one. If there
was only some way OF making woman
widow by an act OF Congress or de
cree Of court! It's shocking TO think ol
the risks a woman must run TO attain
that seventh heaven of independ
ence. believe will advertise for {
consumptiye. and agree 10 nurse hin
tenderly through the remnant of his ex
istence II he will obllgate himself to die
within given time.r
Mrs. Ainslee. her sister, and he,
senior by two years. turned toward hel