Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-02-04
THREE YOUNG OLD-MAIDS
They Found Men Preferable to
Science, Art and Literature.

They Found Men Preferable to
Science, Art and Literature.
NO. shall never marry, said Enid.
''Nor l." said Grace.
Nor l." said Sophy.
81 am welded to art" continued tho
first speaker
And to literature, I" said the second.
''And l to science" said the third
They were all young, they were all
rich. they were all pretty, 50 that
the chances were against the above res
olution being fulfilled, even in this
nineteenth century, when brides are
scarcer than they used to be, and the
votaries of science and art and htera-
ture more numerous.
Sophy and Grace we've sisters. Enid
was their friend. Grace was the eldest,
Enid the youngest of the three. The
sisters were both tall, fine girls, with
dark eyes and hair. and white COM
plexions, smooth and spotless as mar
BILE. Grace was beautiful, Sophy hand.
some; Grace was the paler, her features
more delcately cut, her eyes softer.
Sophy was the more vivacious, her eyes
brighter, her smile more animated, her
laugh merrier.
Enid was not the least like her friends;
she was small and very fair, with blue
seyes and a quantity of pale golden
hair, most OF which was coiled into a
crown on the top Of her head and the
remainder curled about her forehead.
She was dressed IN the aesthetic style,
and was one Of the very few who can
do so with impunity
Max Leslie, brother to Sopny and
Grace was hopelessly in love with her,
but he was lawyer, while Enid was
the bride of art ana what have law and
art in common with each other?
Men are So prosaic, said Enid.
And SO stupid, " said Sophy
''And so wicked, said Grace.
Wen have none of them, cried the
trio.
Girls, have a plan; listen" said
Enid
I'VE three will go away to a lonely
isle don't mean desert island-but
to Nantucket, or the Shoals"
1t was 70 Nantucket that they deter
mined to GO, agreeing to take a house
for three months, and solemnly vowing
that not man should cross its thresh-
old from the day they entered till the
day they left
Only fortnight later and they were
settled in a big old house overlooking
the sea.
There had been obstacles to over
come in the form of protesting fathers
and scandalized mothers, but the pro
posed exclusion of the stronger sex
pacified the fathers. and the fact that
Ends old nurse, n veritable duenua,
was to make one Of the party, allayed
all maternal fears, and in the end the
young people got their own way, as
young people mostly do nowadays.
The first month passed away without
anything more exciting than a thunder
storm occurring. The three aspirants
TO celibacy led a very simple life. They
brealSfasted at nine, dined at one, had
tea when they felt inclined, and srpped
at six. In the mornings the bride of
art sketchcd from nature. or painted in
her studio; the bride Of science shut
herself up in the library with slIele-
ton and studied medicine; while the
bride of literature lay in hammock
and evolved the plot of three volume
novel which was to take the world by
storm
On Sunday they drove to church.
where they attracted so much atten.
ton that after the second Sunday PEG
nix -,
were prepared for this contingency
and Rachel, Ends nurse, met all visit
ors with a very solemn face and the
same information, namely: THAT the
ladies We're ~ home, but they did not
intend 70 receive visitors during theu
stay on the island"
This reply did its intended work; in
little place like Nantucket it sooI
reached the ears Of everybody who wa,
anybody, and, as few people cared t,
DC snubbcd in this style, tile besicgcr
retired ana tie besieEcd were left il
peace.
No doubt they were delighted to hav,
gained this victory, though their shout
of triumph seemed to grow weal1e
weekly.
I'VE won't receive men. SO we can
receive women. was their first watch
word; at the end of fortnight thi
was changed to:
1--WE can't receive men, SO we won
receive women" at the end Of tn
month it was
I'VE would receive both, but the
won't give us the chances" but thi
was not spoken, it was not even whis