Smyrna times., 1893-07-19
ONE TEACHER LESS.

was alone the words were spoken aloud
and had followed long period of deep
thought. This conclusion was not the
result of logical reasoning. She could
reason the matter out differently
enough, but 81 can't" was all she could
bring herself to decide.
She was not a girl, either, but a
woman; this want of consistency an
nOyed and angered her.
Why could she not marry this man
She had intended to, had thought it all
over long before this, and had decided
that to accept him was best for her :;
and nOw--nOw she had refused him
Such a proceeding was so unlike her
usual sensible planned before" me-
thOd of doing things, that she could not
understand it herself.
Tom Morse was in every way good
enough" for her. He was of suitable
age, fairly well looking, g,-neither hand
some nor ugly-just matching herself
in this particular; of good family, one
of the "old families" in fact and that
means much in some country districts
There were Morses-locat9d on the
best pieces of land. tOo--plentifully
scattered around Morseville, anywhere
within radius of twenty miles. His
fOrefathers had dwelt ON the same sub
stantal farm for seventy years and up.
ward.
But this present scion of the family,
when Ae reached his majority, decided
to abandon farming. He was now, in
consequence, chief merchant in the
town which owed its existence and
prosperity to his relatives, past and
present. His income was something to
be taken in consideration. Added to
all this, he was moral young man..
His manners and grammer were defec
tive, but
Alice Barry smiled, then frowned al
herself for doing so, when she thus
summed up his attributes. And hers
she was not one to overrate herself
less than ever was she disposed to do
50 tonight. have already mentioned
her slight claim to beauty. Beauty
should always stand first in womant
catalogue of charms; it is her mos
marketable possession. Alice was no
ignorant of this, and therefore gave he
lack of personal attractions due weight
She knew that the sweet, firm, sensi
tive mouth, with its thin scarlet lips
whose varying curves expressed NOR,
than her friends could always read
was her best feature and that, to
gether with the puff of pale brown hal
which encrcled her forehead, save,
her face from being commonplace
But tonight she bluntly told hersel
that she was positively plain. Sh
nearly turned over a chair in the We
hemence Of the assertion. Then sh
was poor, with no family-that Morse
vile knew any thing about, Indeed
she had not been known there hersel
until three years before, when she ha,
undertaken the duties of head teache
in the two roomed academy" of tn
place.
Last of all, she was 25 years old
This fact she persistently urged upo
herself, but reck lessly decided to iucu
the risk of being a spinster. She di
not want to be an old maid, but sh
would not accept Tom Morse An
yet she had encouraged him, as muc
as she could bring herself to encourag
any man, being young woman of pre-
per dignity.
She did not feel that she had
''career" to work out Neither had sh
any objection to matrimony. Indeed
she had always intended to be married
and to just such a man as Tom. No
because he was, by any. means, be
ideal. She had never met her idea
If he existed at all, it was in circle
that she never frequented. But sh
had met number of Tom Morses, an
che felt that fate had no reason to b
kinder to her in the matter of a hu.
band than she had been to dozens {
other girls, prettier, brighter than hel
self, whom she had known 10 MARI
just such men.
Alice's education and gil of th
world had made her humble, therefor
no acknowledged feeling of superiOrit
prejudiced her against the offer she Wa
so earnestly considering. She had il
deed, given Tom firm and decided r,
fusal. But he begged her to reconsidt
his proposal he would come for hC
answer the next morning.
If only he had put his question
writing-had trusted his fate to IL
Post Ofice--that answer might hay
been different, She would not adm
r that his want of ease, or grammatic
accuracy, had anything to do with he
rejection. She had no right nor desir
to measure a man by such standard
Besides, on this occasion his manne
had been graceful and his speech O
correct as on any preceding meetir
{ beTv cen them. How, then, could the
be responsible for her unaccountab
change of mind 4?
At last she sat down at her des
physically exhausted with trying
! force herself to do what she could no
and wrote him brief note, asking hi
not to see her again, but to accept Il
answer she had already given. Whe
> the last words we're penned she smile
this time without a protest still 81
t could not fOrhear a last word of disa
d proval.
"You will be an old maid, now, Alic,
Well, you have no one to blame for
/, but yourself. II you were not such
cOnceited, fastidious little wretch yc
z would humbly accep the goods the fat
= offer, and most gratefully become MI
Tom Morse
II asked Alice Barry last night
II marry me, mother, and she refused. I"
Refused You'll"