The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-10-06
A SUMMER BOARDER.
Why Sophronia Concluded She
Didn't Want to Marry.

'In Japan every man is compelled to
marry as soon as his circumstances are
such as to support a wife"
Miss Sophronia Shurtleff laid down
the paper from which she had read
the sentence uabove quoted, and in
dulged in the following comment:
"And very excellent law it is, too
| am sure the Japanese are q good
deal more enlightened than people
give them credit for. In that respect
it would be a good idea if Christian
governments would pattern after them.
| only wish had been born in Japan.
| think it's a shame and sin that a
good looking girl of twenty-nine-
ahem! l mean thirty-nine-should be
living in single bfessedness, without
husband or any prospect Of one"
Sophronia Shurtleff, as the reader
has learned from her soliloquy, was a
maiden lady in comfortable circum-
stances, and lived in a little cottage just
out of the village of Cherryville. AS to
her age, second thoughts might be
most polite, but were not most cor
rect. Though she made it a practice
to call herself twenty nine, the town
clerk knew by his books that she was
within month of forty. She was
neither fat nor fair, however. Twenty
five additional pounds would have
helped her figure amazingly, and as to
her face, if it had been little less sal
low, the nose a trife shorter, the eyes
less inclined to squint, and the cheeks
little fuller, the improvement would
have been so great that her most init
mate friends would not have known
her.
Still Sophronia considered herself a
'good-looking girl" It's mercy
homely people are so unconscious of
the fact, l never knew a person who
did not consider himself at least passa-
BILE, and the ugliest man it was ever my
lot to be acquainted with was perpetu-
ally looking in the looking glass. Poor
man, perhaps he was trying to get ac-
customed to his peculiar style of beauty.
There was one thing in which
Sophronia agreed with her neighbors,
and thatwas that if she ever expected to
be married it must be soon. She there
fore determined on bold stroke for a
husband. She had somewhere heard
that if tn emountain will not come to Ma
homet, Mahomet must go to the noun
tain, which, being interpreted and ap-
piled to her own case, clearly meant
tina, tsince the beauX made no advances
she must save them the trouble.
Cherryville was not far from the
city, and being pretty village was
considerably visited in the summer
months by those who wished to rural
ize. Now, taking this fact into con-
sideration, it all at once occurred to
Miss Sophronia that she might let her
front room to young gentleman dur
ing the summer, and-and don't YOU
see, dear reader? OF course they
would be brought considerably to-
gether during that time, and perhaps
by her personal charms and the init
nation that she had some money in the
bank, she might induce him to propose
for her virgin hand.
Accordingly the hopeful spinster bad
the paint duly cleaned, till it looked as
neat as wax, the furniture polished, and
actually went to the expense of new
curtains for her front room, trusting
that it might prove profitable invest
ment. All preparations of this nature
being concluded, she put a placard in
the window intimating that this room
was to let for the summer, and that
single gentlemen we're preferred.
"You see, as she remarked to the
Widow Jones, who happened to look
in the same day the notice was put up,
''you see, Mrs. Jones, men are good
deal less trouble than women. Women
repol1ing round all day, and watching
you all the time, but men are off most
Of the time"
1t was about week after the placard
was put up that Il young man walked
up the neat gravel walk, and, lifting
Miss Sophronia's knocker gave two
distinct knocks. Hes heart fluttering
with pleasure, for she had observed