The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-05-03
MISS MARRABLE'S ELOPEMENT,

Miss Martha Marrable, spinster lady of
five-and-fifty, is the last of her race. Her
only brother, Mr.. Clement Marrable, never
married, and died twenty years ago at
Baden Baden, whittier he had gone to drink
the waters; and her two sisters, Maria and
L@titia, although they did marry, did not
live to become middle.aged women. The
elder, Maria, after becoming the wife of
Mr.. Langton Larkspur, of the firm of
Scrip, Larkspur 81 Co., bankers, of Thread
needle Street, gave birth to a single child,
a daughter, who was named Lucy; and
the younger, Letitia, having been led to
the altar by Mr.. Septimus Allerton, of the
firm of AllertOn, Bond & Benedict, brokers,
of Pancake Lane, presented her husband
with twin girls, of whom only one-and
she was called Amy-survived her ex-
IRENE infancy. 1t is therefore not aston
ishing that Miss Martha Marrable, we'll
to-do woman without family ties, is ex-
ceedingly fond of the daughters of her two
dead sisters. She usually had them to stay
with her at least twice a year-once in the
early summer at her house in Grosvenor
Street, and once in the autumn at the sea-
side, or in Italy, whittier she goes occasion
ally, accompanied-to the great wonder of
the foreigners-by a courier, a man-serv-
ant, two maids, eleven boxes and green
parrot. And as she is very kind to her
nieces, and denies them nothing, it is not
her as she is of them. But Miss
Martha Marrable is growing old |;
whereas Miss Lucy Larkspur and
Miss Amy Allerton are both young, and
intend to remain so for some years to come.
1t is not, therefore, to be expected that the
three ladies should invariably think ex-
actly alike on all subjects. And, indeed, l
am happy to say that there are not many
women who do agree with Miss Marrable,
upon all questions; for although she is as
good an old spinster as ever
breathed, she is, unfortunately, a man
hater.
1 have looked into the dictionary to see
what the verb "to hate" signifies, and
find that it means ito despise," or ito dis
like intensely" Let it not, however, be
supposed that the word "man-hater" is a
stronger one that ought to be applied to
Miss Marrable, for am really not certain
that it is altogether strong enough. She
regards men as inferior animals, and looks
down upon them with lofty contempt
"Who," she once said to her niece Lucy
"has turned the world upside down, filled
it with poverty and unhappiness, and del
uged it with blood? 1t is Man, Lucy. II
woman had always governed the earth we
should have had no Caesar Borgias, no
Judge JefRerieses, no Bonapartes and no
Mana Sahibs." And yet Miss Martha Mar
rable can never see vagrant begging in
the street without giving him aims. The
truth is, that, although she detests and
despises man, she pities him; just as she
pities the poor idiot whom she sometimes
sees grinning and gibbering by the wayside
in Italy.
These being her sentiments, Miss Maria
BILE has not, of course, many male acquaint-
ances. She is on good, but not affectionate,
terms with her widowed brothers-in.law,
Mr.. Langton Larkspur and Mr.. Septimus
Allerton. She once year invites her man
of business, Mr.. John Bones, of Cooks
Court, to dine with her and them in eros.
whom she would call in to attend her in
case of illness. Yet Mr.. Larkspur once
told MIR. Allerton that this feminine dragon
had had a violent love affair when she was
nineteen; and Mr.. Allerton-whose con.