The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-19
THAT LEAP YEAR GERMAN.
by NELLIE coxxERY.

german. Kate was posing before the long
I mirror. her dainty feet in low satin shoes.
which displayed the perfect arch or her
I instep 10 perfection. One white arm.
| from which tho long. loose sleeve fell
| back, as though loath 10 lmprison such
I fair round loneliness. thrown above her
proud little head Her Tiuan-tinted hair
/ fell in a heavy braid below her slender
waist. and as she euddled in the snug
/ depths OF the great easy chair before the
mirror, she formed a picture as she well
knew. Of surprising loneliness.
Kate" Marie at length said, what
mischief are yon plotting now. 1 haven't
heard a word from you in over ten min
utes2"
/ Kate yawned and then, like the lazy lit
tie cat that she was. burrowed sim farth-
er down into the comfortable depths of
her chair before replying.
Il was trying to think whether it would
be more exciting to propose to my escort.
or rather to the young man whom shall
/ escort-in the carriage, or the conserva-
tory. I have quite made up my mind TO
do the proposing act-you needn't look so
Mortified Marie! want TO experience the
same emotion. If possible, that a man
does when Offering his heart and hand to
the woman be adores."
/ Whom are you to honor with your first
proposal?" Marie queries sarcastically.
4 think" meditatively, Il shall propose
/ to Jack; believe like him better than
/ any man I know. / shall ask him i'm an
earnest and fervent manner to be mine,
/ OF course he will not know who Il is -
/ Marie looked at her with a stare of I'M
/ disguised amazement Not know who
/ 1t is! How will you prevent that?"
| well, stupid! one girl is going to ask a
/ man TO go, and another is going to take
| him. OF course. the man viii know moth
/ ing about the exchange of escorts. so we
| shall have no end of fun. / shall seize
| Jacks hand in a forcibly frantic manner
and pour forth my ardent love, and adj
/ miration for him, upon my knees, l hope
! he will accept my offerH'
II hope he won't and ] bet box of
! Huyler's you don't do 1t. But come Kitty
/ did, IL is after / O'Clock now: the last in
/ bed puts out the light"
The night of the Leap Year german
! Kate Arlington, radiant in lilac satin and
/ pearls, stands before the mirror giving
/ the finishing touches to her toilet. before
| tieing on the lilac mask that lies near
her on the table.
| Marie calls: and continues as she comes
down the broad stairway, don't forget
our bet! l wouldn't do it If 1 were you,
| Katydid. Jack will be sure to pop the
/ question himself soon. and you'u hate to
/ have been so premature afterward"
| Don't fret yourself child. I'm quite
| Tai Tar And Kate shuts the carriage
| door with a bang and is driven rapidly
/ in the direction of Jack Carruthers' home
The glare of the electric lights, the
/ smilax, the happy, yet half weary faces
/ of the dancers, tells US that the german
Is at ITS hight; Young women fit hith-
/ Others assiduously fan the heated brow
/ of some weary man, who looks up into
their radiant faces with half-bored ex-
] cultivated hn olat.
| There are no wall flowers among the men
/ oh. blessed thing to be a mani A gallant
hussar promenades up and down the ball
room on the arm OF reigning belle
! Three young women have been appointed
| the social policemen for the occasion And
woe be unto that spoony Corydon who
upon a moonlit balcony he rs drakeed i
most ANONYMOUSLY back into the light of
day, or rather the light OF electricity and
is forcibly made to understand that such
! joys are not for him.
A slight figure in lilac satin fits across
the room. to where three young men,
from their perseeutors@ah, hem Rem@
charmers, are now enjoying their
liberty to the full. Wont you
let me show you the conservatory. Mr..
Carruthers?' Delighted, 1 am sure"
Mr.. Carruthers replies languidly,
and. Kate. with a "do-or-dle'' expression
on her face, which is still hidden by her
mask, goes with him into the conserva-
Aren't you beginning to find this affair
you are? For 1 haven't the slightest
idea" Jack asks. a merry twinkle In his
eye as they stroll through the conserva-
tory together.
''You may, but don't promise TO an
swer you. But won't you rest a while?"
as they pause before a little fountain, at
the far end Of the ROOM 81 fear the ex-
ertion of dancing has been too much for
your fragile FORM" with a glance of sup
pressed merriment at his tan, athletic
figure, and broad shoulders Jack gazes
az her reproachfully That is unkind. l
Now or never, thinks Kate, desperately,
and then: Mr. Carruthers, Jackr seiz-
ing hold Of one big hand with her two
small ones. and pressing 1t, If the truth
must be told. in far from a frantic man
ner. 81 brought you in here tonight to
tell you how-how fond l was of you,
and comfort you all the days of your
our-our livesr'
Until death do us part" says Jack,
solemnly. II have been trying to screw
up my courage for the last month, to tell
you the same thing, Miss Kate. for-for-
have known who it was all the time"
Isaac w. Raven, of Millheim, Ind, be-
came the owner of turnpike the other day
that he didn't know what to do with.
Three years ago he was thrown from a
carriage on the pike and sustained a brok-
en- leg. This led to a suit for damages,
and he got a verdict for 5000, which was
sustained by the supreme court. But the
turnpike people refused to pay, and tho
sheriff, in attempting to satisfy the claim
only had one bidder, and that bidder was
Raven, and ne got the pike. Raven COM
promised with the company by giving back
the turnpike and accepting 5000 cash,
they to pay all costs
or