Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-10-26
A WOMAN AFTER ALL.

were alive with busy workers that filled tho
air with their cummings as they brought
In honey from ths flowers Of yard garden,
orchard and field. From the village black
smith shop half mile away calne the
sound Of the hammer on the clear morning
air across the dark brown of the freshly
plowed fields, where the young corn was
just tall enough to sorely tempt the stolid,
patient mules. The regular strokes Of the
washerwoman's battling stick, keeping
time to her monotonous, chantlike song,
foated up from the spring. BOOSTERS
crowed, hens cackled and CLICKED, and
chickens peeped, and the air was full of the
sounds Of an early summer morning in the
country.
On the back porch of roomy old farm
house sat two women. To them the coun-
try sights and sounds were familiar and
fell on unheeding eyes and ears. The older
of the two was plump, we'll kept, so years
old perhaps. Her general appearance indi4
Gated that she was visitor. Her black
lawn dress was protected by long, lace
trimmed white apron. The other woman
wore gray calico Mother Hubbard, held
in place by blue bingham apron.
Mrs. Mary Croft, we'll to do widow, waa
on her annual visit to her brother DR.. ohm
Marion, we'll to do widower. Mrs. Croft
paid her visit as q matter of duty to look
after the affairs of her brothers household,
although his widowed daughter, Mrs. Sarah
Smiley, was capable business woman.
Mrs. Croft was one Of the people who feel
that the affairs Of others need to be looked
after carefully. Mrs. Smiley loved her
aunt, but resented the spirit of her visit.
Mrs. Croft critlcIsru srverr1y Or. MA.
rion's manner Of bringing up his youngest
daughter Sue, and it was really on account
of certain rumors that she had heard that
she had FASTENED her present visit and had
come in the early summer instead of in
August as usual All the family knew this,
and DR.. Marion and Sue thought it great
fun, but Mrs. Smiley knew she would bc
the one to bear the brunt Of her aunt's dis
pleasure. Not word was said about the
matter until the two women were settled
quietly at their work and the first handful
of green peas had ratified into the shining
pan. Mrs. Croft began by remarking:
where's Susan this morninS"
II don't know. In pas Office, maybe,
readin9"
"She's through school now, amt she?"
'She's graduated. but I guess she'll go to
college,"
go to college? What fori She knows
'nough now to teach school, don't she? Be-
sides, don't see that there's any call for
her to teach school even. John shorely can
sport her. Why don't she stay here an hep
your"
II don't need her, an If she wants to go to
oahool T 11v,3k a,r,I,x eIa Oh J,,tk
''How longll she be in SCHOOL," .
"She's goin to college three years and
then to medical school two"
Land sakes! What fors"
ITO study medicine"
"Study med cine2 That's mems business"
II guess it's women's if they want to. Pa
wanted me to study medicine, you know,
and I'd a-done 1t, too, If hadn't got it into
my head to get married"
II wish to goodness Susan'd git the same
notion in her head. I'm plum outdone with
John. He doesn't know blessed thing
bout raisin a family. How old is Susan2"
Eighteen"
"An she's goin to school five years longer.
That'll make her 49,"
"she may go to Europe after that and
Mrs. Croft was speeches.. This was
worse than she dreamed Of Just then two
people began to sing in the parlor.
WHO'S that?" said Mrs Croft.
"That's Sue and DR.. Anderson"
"Whos her"
IA young man from town"
whats he doin here?"
Hes come to see Sue, guess. I never
asked him his business, but guess that's
it,"
Mrs. Croft smiled in spite Of herself.
Maybe there's some hope for her then
II she's got beau. She may take the same
notion you did. If girls only knowed it,
so much. Men don't like women to know
30 much. It's not proper for the woman
to know g much as the man. He likes to
feel he's head If the hor,e, an he amt
quite comfortable if he knows his wife is
capable of criticism everything he says an
does. Pm mighty glad Susan's got a beau.
That'll take the nonsense out Of her head
bout studin med'ci sooner'n anything
else would"
Meanwhile the two young people in the
parlor were enjoying themselves; at least
Sue was. DR.. Anderson was not quite SO
comfortable. He was very much In love
with Sue Marion, and yet he was somewhat
afraid of her. He would have felt more at
ease in her society If she had been more
like other girls. It was hard to be senti-
mental, no matter how much a fellow loved
the medicinal property of plants than Of
the language OF flowers. Notwithstanding
all this, DR.. Joe knew that Sue was the
woman for him, and he had determined to
put his fate to the test as soon as possible.
As the two sang together that morning
he was wandering If Sue did not think It
silly to fall in love, and If she would be
guilty Of such weakness. He had heard
her advance some excellent ideas with re-
gard to marriage, but be feared she was a
theorist and willing to point out the way
for others. but not to travel it herself.
Sue noticed the doctors trepidation and
understood the cause. 1t set her heart
but she gave no sign. Though
no one thought such a thing Of Sue, she
had her dreams Of lover and how he
should WOO her; SO that evening as she
she was very much disappointed at the
hating, timid way in which he asked her
to be his wife. He tried to put the matter
on common sense, matter Of fact basis, |
such as he thought Sue would like, and
made muss Of It.
The poor fellow knew it and wanted to 20
out and hang himself. Sues cold, con-
stralaed manner only served to complicate
matters. She was heartsick over the lack
VI uEE dIlu uCItO lA ACL lONCk . ludIluEE. Que |
did not want to refuse DR.. Joe, because she |
was very much in 1--we with him, but to &C
cept him Immediately after such proposal |
would be very much like proposing herself. |
Perhaps be might show some sign if she
would wait awhile, so she coldly requested |
. week to consider the matter.
After he was gone she sat alone in the ar
Dor. Did he love herr Why didn't he say
20 them II he didn't, why did he ask heSS'
10 marry himi She had - declared tt
herself, with tears, that il SIC were a man
she'd know how to propose or she wouldn', |
attempt it, when she was startled by hast,
.teps. She arose lust as SONG one dashco
arms about her and quick, hot kisses Oh
bsy face aud hair,
She was so taken aback she could not |
speak, and before she recovered herself she
was alone, and figure was disappearing
down the path toward the gate.
81 ill Lab k,-A l.