Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-08-24
A WOMAN AFTER ALL.

air with their cummings as they brought
In honey from the flowers Of yard, garden,
orchard and field. From the village black
smith shop half a mile away came 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 mcnotonous. chantlike song,
toated up from the spring. BOOSTERS
erowed, hens cackled and clucked, and
chickens peeped, and the air was full Of the
sounds Of an early summer morning In the
country.
On the back porch of a 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, well kept, 6O years
old perhaps. Her general appearance indi-
Gated that she was visitor. Her black
lawn dress was protected by long, lace
trimmed white apron. The other woman
wore a gray calico Mother Hubbard, held
In place by blue gingham apron
Mrs Mary Croft, well to do widow, was
ON her annual visit to her brother, Dr. John
Marion, well to do widower. Mrs. Croft
paid her visit as a matter of duty to look
after the affairs Of her brothers household.
although his widowed daughter, Mrs. Sarah
Smiley. was a 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 criticised severely DIR. Ma
rion's manner Of bringing up his youngest
daughter Sue, and IL was really on account
of certain rumors that she had heard that
she had hastened her present visit and had
come In the early summer instead Of In
August as usual All the family knew this,
and DIR. Marion and Sue thought IL great
fun, but Mrs. Smiley knew she would be
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 morninp
II don't know. In pas Office, maybe,
readins"
"Shes through school now, amt shei"
shes graduated. but guess she'll go to
college"
"Go to collegei What fori She knows
'nough now to teach school, don't shef 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
youf
II don't need her, an II she wants to 20 to
school don't see why she shouldn't CO."
'How long'll she be In SCHOOL,"
"Shes goin to college three years and
then to medical school two"
LAND sakesi What forS"
"To study medicine"
'Study med 'cinef That's mems business
~ guess it's women's II they want to- Pa
wanted me to study medicine, you know,
and I'd a-done it, too, IL hadn't got 1t into
my head TO get married"
"I 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 family. How old is Susanf"
Eighteen"
IAN she's goin to school Ave years longer.
That'll make her %.
"she may go = to Europe after that and
Mrs. Croft was speethless This was
worse than she dreamed of. Just then two
people began co sing in the parlor.
WHO'S thati" said Mrs. Croft.
That's Sue and DIR. Anderson"
"Who's her"
"A young man from town."
"Wbat's he doin heref"
'He's come to see Sue, guess. 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
notion you did. II girls only knowed it,
they spoil their chances by goin to school
80 much. Men don't like women to know
30 much. It's not proper for the woman
to know 3 much as the man. He likes to
feel he's head of the house, an he amt
quite comfortable IL he knows his wife il
capable of criticism everything he says an
does. pm mighty glad Susan's got beau.
That'll take the nonsense out of her head
bout studin medicine sooner'n anything
else would"
Meanwhile the two young people in the
parlor We're enjoying themselves; at least
Sue was DR.. Anderson was not quite so
comfortable He was very much in love
with Sue Marion, and yet be was somewhat
afraid of her. He would have felt more at
ease In her society II she had been more
like other girls. IL was hard to be senti-
mental, no matter how much fellow loved
q young lady, when she thought more Of
the medicinal property Of plants than Of
the language of flowers. Notwithstanding
all this, DIR. 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 tOgetner tndt morning
he was wandering IL Sue did not think 1t
silly to fall in love, and II she would be
guilty of such weakness. He had heard
her advance some excellent ideas with re-
gard to marriage, but he feared she was a
theorist and willing to point out the way
for others, but not to travel IL herself
Sue noticed the doctors trepidation and
understood the cause. II set her heart
fluttering, but she gave no sign. Though
no one thought such thing of Sue. she
had her dreams of lover and how be
should WOO her; so that evening as she
and Dr. Joe sat In the twilight ia the arbor
she was very much disappointed at the
halting, timid way in which he asked her
to be his wife. He tried to put the matter
on a common sense, matter OF fact basis,
such as he thought Sue would like, and
made a muss OF II.
The poor fellow knew Il and wanted to 20
out and hang himself. Sues cold, con-
strained manner only served to complicate
matters She was heartsick over the lack
Of fire and nerve in her lovers manner. She
did not want to refuse Dr. Joe, because she
was very much in love with him, but to ac-
cept him Immediately after such proposal
would be very much like proposing herself
Perhaps he might show some sign II 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 be love herf Why didn't he say
90 thent II he didn't, why did he ask her
TO marry himf She had just declared to
herself. with tears, that IL she were a man
she'd know how to propose or she wouldn't
attempt Il. when she was startled by hasty
steps She arose just as some one dashed
s..kx sl.ua f.ls