The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-23
OLD MAID Is GLAD
HAPPINESS OF A WICHITA GIRL
WHO DIDN'T SAY "YES."
She Refers to Her Diary and Finds
That She Has Forgotten Many of
HerOId Time Friends and Laments
the Fact That Life Isn't as Gay as
it Was.
DAYTON, o., Dec. is, 1894.

Dayton, o., Dec. Is, 1894.
Dear Eagle-My cat and / sat before
the fire place the other night thinking
was not an old maid seven years ago.
/ am now. That was the substance OF
my thoughts. I do not know what my
cats thoughts We're, but that is imma-
terial.
/ am certainly an old maid. l read
my spinsterhood in the suffering
Goals before me, and because it was
nearing Christmas time perhaps my
mind went skipping back to my hap
piest season-that of 1SS7-8S.
Twenty three-those were my years
full of bloom and blossom. / was pref
ty-the men all told me so. Ny cheeks
were roses, my lips cherries, and L low
ed the waltz ] knew my charms then.
] knew 1 could dance fire into my
eyes that would bring any of my adj
mirers to their knees.
That is all gone by. i am 80 now, and
j do not have to be told that those
charms 1 once had are gone. Whether
/ was disappointed in love or not, con-
Germs no one l am sure.
But when Christmas comes [ do sigh
for the good old days. And when my
cat and j sat before the fire ii flashed
into my mind that somewhere L had a
diary of the season in society in Wich-
ita in 1SS7-SS.
Down into the old trunk rurnmaged,
among faded party dresses and yellow
ed ruche and old discolored gloves and,
fished out that diary.
The first entry is of January /, 1888,
and the first record scrubbed there is
of a party given by the Eagle Rifles in
their hall. L remember the night well.
1T was crisp and cold. l was wrapped
up in furS when we spun down the
streets to the hall. The ballroom was
brilliant, L remember, with pretty
women. and handsome men.
The little diary says nothing about
that The first entry in it is this:
"CIyde Ware whispered to me that I
was the brightest, prettiest Of them
ALL
l confess I flushed, even in my spin
sterhood, when / read that. Then I
was puzzled. Who was this man who
Whispered to me? Seven years had
made his name sound strange and eff
faced all memory of his appearance.
Who was Clyde Ware? He must have
known me well to whisper to me. But
4 had forgotten him, and whether he
was tall or small or light or dark, /
know not to this day. And j couldn't
help wondering where this old forgot
ten friend was. and what he was, and
ST he too should he hear my my name
would pause and try to recollect in vain
The next entry in that diary is this,
and it is no less perplexing:
First set, quadrille, met Miss Boyd;
didn't like her"
/ have tried in vain to call up Miss
Boyd. But L can not. There is no
trace left of what there was about her
J did not like. Then it must have i'm
pressed me, else 1 would not have writ
ten it down.
What silly, envious girl must have
been. Knowing / was pretty, why
should l envy every other woman i1er
sweetness? But must have, for find
in that diary this item:
Grace HartZel1 made me positively
hired. She chung to George all even
ing and L didn't get one dance with
him."
1 remember Grace Hartzen well, she
WAS dear, sweet girl and why 1 should
begrudged her George i cannot i'm
agiDe-particularly when all vestige of
who this George was and what his last
name is has gone from me for ever.
All through that date in the diary,
have similar comments on the people
. have met at that ball, written with
that audacity that characterizes all
girls diaries-audacious simply be-
cause the writer has the assurance that
the little book shall always be guarded
with secrecy.
What a list of dead names there are
names that are put away forever. Here
are some of them: Cora Miller. Mosce-
line Baldwin, Mary Miller, Millie Sap
penfield, Matte Fabrique, Allie Littlel
Laura WooGcock, Tella TuSch. Marion
Niederlander, Grace Bear, Miss
Schanck.
In that diary / have a comment on
each of GEOGRAPHICALLY Of what they
wore, and how they looked. How
strange all of those names are now
All have changed. mine is the same
And the men too. Their names have
not changed, but they are all SO old.
they sound new to me: a. II. Grief
Will Merrill, Z. s. Blossom. c. L. Rob
tnson, A. G. Runyan. G.. F.. Hoffmaster.
Louis Springer, Holton, Garrett, Boyd.
Haywood. La Ferve, Kanouse and
Boiling.
How odd that seven years should
have taken these names away / won
der If any of them would remember me-
j remember Boiling. Does he remem-
Der me? He must He proposed TO
me that night.
How close he crept and how quick
md spiritedly he WHISPERED his pro-
posal. How | laughed and how he as
sured me that he was serious, and how
laughed again and refused to believe
him in earnest.
Would ] have changed had 7 known
Then that that was my last proposal of
marriage?
Perhaps. He said he was well off
He was ambitious. He had been sue
cessful. He loved me. And 1 laughed
him a negative.
My cat and 1 sat before the fire the
other night thinking. reading my spin
sterhood in the glowing Goals, and l
was glad and my cat was glad
A little less than a year ago took a
sleeper between Chicago and Louisville.
must have uttered a little cry when
Boiling himself came to me to make
out my berth check-the same Boiling.
He felt the embarrassing OF his low
station. L could see, for he avoided
recognizing me. But / asked him 10
sit down and drove his diffideuce AWAY.
He told me how his fortune had waned
how poor his pay was. how CALLING his
position.
My cat and / sit before the fire place
content in spinsterhood. reading the
faded leaves Of diary full Of the spirit
OF frivolous girlhood. Ancient history
only seven years it is true-but long
enough-yearS enough-time. enough Ia
transport me from blushing eligibility
10 a wrinkled. uncomely stage where
conquest OF new surname is iupos-
sible.
But IL is better than Boiling.
CRYSTAL.
WILL RECEIVE NEW YEARS