Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-03-27

serious air ana tnefe was NJ Snlie
on his face when he replied; there
was rather a shadow Of regret.
YES; Miss Susanna he sad. Il
do stand reluctant, for | think II |
had been more OF fool In one re-
gard | would have been less of a
fool in another. Tint Is TO say, a
man is fool TO waste his life
seIfshly as ! haye done
Thls,w the au>picous moment
Susanna had been seeking. She
would now lead right up to the
matter and find a listener TO her
proposal.
why don't You marry, Mr.. Gal
veli' she asked with directness.
You are not too WIS., to consider
the question, l hOpe.'
Certainly not, Niles Su'anna,'
he smiled. 'Pve been considering
1t for twenty years.
'Then yOu onght to stop consider
ing 1t AMI pop IT, Susanna laugh
ed, and Mr.. Culver also.
Il hardly think I'll ever do that
he said seriously. Il wouldn't know
how to 90 about 1t to make my
case halt presentable. I've given
myself up, you knows as a bad job
Some Of these new women will
be charging down on You one OF
these days, teaching yOithe new r
dOctrlHe that women have the
right to say whether you have the
right to do as yIu please with
yourself. In other words, some
one of them will capture you III
spite of YOURSELF
Not much thy won't asserted
Mr.. Culver with n great show of
courage. 'lf there Is anything |
don't want to marry. it's 4 WON an
with fool notions Of that klnd'
Susanua's heart went down to
her shoes on the instant. Here
was an lnsurmOuntab obstacle in
her path, and with Mr.. Cuve
holding to such an opinion. what
good would proposal be from her
even If she >honid muster mp conr-
age enough to make it. The
thought made her mute for mln-
nte, and in that minute a new
thought came, one that had been
there before, too, bat hal gone
wool gathering while she was
beating around the bush with the
new woman idea.
Il think myself they are hOrrid''
she SAID with an effort to swallow
something that would not go down
very easily. Bat there is the
leap year privilege. All womeu'
new and Old, can claim that, and
You mustn't forget that this Is leap
year
Il had forgotten it, he said,
NOV ING hls chair over into the tar
corper Of the fireplace, but sti II
not 80 far away that he was ont OF
the pleasant influence OF Susannas
nearness. He sat there tor an
instant making himself shiver With
terror, aud then he moved back,
possibly a little nearer than be-
tore.
'Forewarned is fOrearmed,' she
said "and now that | have told on
of the dangers ahead, [ hope you
will pr4fi, by my advice
'Oh, I'm not afraid he asserted
in good voice, Pm just waiting
flr that sort of thing. The Gus
tom. or tradition, or whatever you
may call It, is an old.fashioned onr
and only an old-fasbioned woman
would think of it, and that is the
kind want. 50 none OF them had
batter try it, unless she means
business
Surely no finer ope ming could 2e
presented to "A young woman 10
her moo than this, and Susanna
gave herself a little shake and
took another long breath. The
lime had come, and she was not
the woman to lose 80 glorious an
opportunity.
Mr.. Culyer,' she began in a firm
voice and with great earnestness'
Il have for a long time been think
lag that you ought to marry. anu
have even gone so far as to select
inst such a woman as l thin X
would suIt you. | have had two
or three consultations with ber
anu she Is willing that | should
present the matter to ou, because
| know you so well, and you viii
understand it better from me than
it she should present it herself
Thls.impersonal style was emi
nently pleasing TO Susanna, and
she felt that her task was not go
Lea. % ko an hard affar oil hnf ahf