Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-11
A CONSPICUOUS OPPORTUNITY.

why don't | get married?'
81 wonder # there is any process of
law or condition IT ethics that can pro-
tcct me from that question: and Miss
Margaret Winthrop turned sbarpIy
round and looked at her brother in-law
rs II for u reply.
DR. Ainslcc looked up from his papcr
with an express on that cyiuccd a GER
tain enjoyment Of the chase. rather
than a sympathy with The pursued. and
answered:
YES, there il one means Of escape.
"And that is to get married, | sup
pose?"
Exactly"
Miss Winthrop was not soothcd bv the
suggestion. She regarded Il ~ an I'M
wholesome state Of civ. lization In which
woman with % handsome income and
n natural bias toward cuntcntmcnt
could not pursue her own course with
out being headed of NJ every turn with
that imbccilc query. Among her friends
she was spoken o. rs eccentric. "a woman
who unfortunately had ideas: and.
while possessing inestimablc advauta.
gcs. had signuIlv failed to make any Use
Ol them. This allure was all tho morn
conspicuous from the fact that i'm 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 rcproach OF
spinstcrhUOi upon family TIA within
the memory of man hal married its
daughters young and well. and, for any
thing the world knew To the contrary.
happily. She was twcnty-eight today.
This was tho view taken III the sii,Ia-
ton by her friends Miss Wintlrap r.
gard 81 II from different point ct OBJ
scrvaton. She knew many thing, that
The world could hot know concerning
The alleged felicity # various members
~ her family, past and pres mt. who
had married early and well" Then
There was the iu inevitable entail of care
and suffering. Why any sane woman
should fly prrcipitatrly into thr cone
qurncc' of marriage when she had the
bcncit of other peoples exp ricnce as
warning was something Mis- Win
thrOp had never understood and didn not
seek To explain She had all n woman's
horror Of being called an 'uli maid"
though The immuntic, of IS, insterhood
were at times allurinw. II had never
!
ranks Of the brlatcd sisterhuol. OF
course she int lndrd to marry N some
time. but Why he In haste Did not
every married woman ot her acJuaint-
~. e admit that cuurtship was the most
delightful part ct all. and that antici-
pations 1T post nuptial felicity were apt
o. resolve themselves into an unsatis-
factory anti-climaV2 OF course. no
wCllUgulatrd woman wanted To lie an
OLD maid. but conceive the want of
t'rc~ ght IN the woman who married
her irst lover. thus putting il ont of
her power To en- oy aga the delightful
experience Of courtsh.p. when hy re- .ect.
ing him she could - on repeating II
indefinitely with frcsh sub ccts and I'M
der an Infinite variety Of conditions.
She that loves and runs away
vii live % hove alother d,y
was Miss Niuthrop's motto; that mar
rage was, Tie death. q thing to be- de.
tcrred ne lonl as possible and accepted
finally ~ heroic remedy for something
worse was her philosophy. Being
twcnty-eight tO day she felt that the
time had como for hero'c measures.
She did not look a day over twenty.
Her hair was the same soft tint Of
brown that Il had always been: her
cheek had iirmncss OF contour and n
delicate blush upon it that might have
belonged to q girl of seventeen: the
beauty which had made her conspicu-
Gus as n dchutante gave no signs of APP
preaching deterioration. but what did
all this amount to when everybody
know she was twcnty-cght. and at
tested with cNaspcrating indelicacv that
she was remarkably we'll preserved 4"
She could not possibly put IL Oft much
longer. and yet she felt acertain shrink
Ing from her destiny-as the hand of n
suicide might rcc1il from It's instrument
AS she began to review mentally the
opportunities remaining 90 her
Money Is no object" she exclaimed
~ last. - want freedom, aud the only
condition compatible with perfect free
dom Is widowhood Unfortunately we
cant be Torn widows. aud the odds
against being let n widow without in
cumbrance are indnity 10 one. II there
was only some way OF making woman
n widow by an act Of Congress or a do.
cree Of court It's shocking to think of
the risks woman must run % attain
that seventh heaven Of independ-
ence. believe | viii advertise for n
consumptive. and agree To nurse him
tcnderly through the remnant of his ex-
isicnce II he will obligate himself 10 die
within given time.
Mrs. Ainslee. her sister. and her
senior by two years, turned toward her