The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-03-10
LEAP YEAR MADE HER BOLD.

tn there \, as one thing Ia all hcr ex-
p~erince that Susanna Morton was
heartily tired OF 1t vas the evident
and continuous purpose OF mankind to
permit her to remain o spinster.
True, she had been n 80 long 1T
would seem that she should nave be-
come accustomed to 1t; but by some
strange fatality women, that Is the
majority of women, accept their
lot in this form with that calm resigna-
ton and beautiful Christian spirit
which has won for them the ~endearing
title OF the gentler sex.
And Susanna Morton had put up
with it just as long as she was going
to.
Four leap years had passed her by,
and she had submitted gracefully, but
each year less gracefully than she had
done the year previously, and there
were moments In the last of the four
when she became almost desperate.
Now that q fifth had come, her mind
was made up. She would take the
reins of Cupid In her own hands and
drive that harum-scarum little rascal
In o manner to suit herself. She had
what men seldom disregard-a com-
Portable fortune.
1t was this fortune hat had been the
real stumbling-block in the matri-
monial path OF Susanna, and not any
lack OF attractive qualities in her pos
session, for she was not hOmely, nor
was she anything but charming. The
y fortune, however, which was hers
from her sixteenth birthday, had
developed in her u fear that men
sought her for her money and not for
herself, and, never having fallen in
love with any OF her courtiert, h did
not find it difficult to resist advances,
believing, as she did, that some day
the one man In all the world for her
would appear and claim her as his
own.
However, he did not appear, and he
continued not to appear, until Susanna
had reached an age and a firmness Of
character, to put it mildly, when her
fortune would have to be at least
doubled to make her as attractive as
she was at twenty.
This knO Wedge had come 10 her
gradually, but was none the less force
full on that account and she was de-
termiped not to let this leap year pass
without results of o lasting character.
OF the men in her train there were
perhaps half a dozen who were eligible,
and any one Of whom would have
made a husband any woman could be
proud Of. But they were merely
friends; not a man-jack of them had
- oNoI oussootOu cuOh " Oh1hS - Il
mony to her and, possibly, this was
why she liked them. So perverse is
the nature of IN
Among this half dozen was one who
found the greatest favor in Susanna,s
eyes, the others taking their positions
after him in regular graduation, and
this one Susanna selected as her victim
for leap year, resolved to try all the
others in case of failure in the first
instance.
Truly, Susanna was q desperate
spinster.
And no less spry, for in the course Of
his first call in the new year she began
her operations. But it was a dreadful
task, and the evening passed without
q single step taken forward. The
effort had been made, however, and
courage always comes with effort.
When he came again she was sc
wrought up over the work before her
that her eyes sparkIed ard her cheeks
glowed in rosy color.
"Why, bless my soul, Nj 50 Susanna
he said, chow pretty you look this
evening""
He was ten years older than she,
soul style affected by elderly men.
ooh, thank you, Mr.. Culver" she
twittered. "I'm sure you only think
8 o look just as | always look"
"Of course, Miss Susanna, only
slightly more So" he smiled, but there
was that in the tone which had the
ring of insincerity, or at least super
fetal and society sincerity, which is
very nearly the same thing, and which
made Susanna despise the fattery OF
men that so far had mean to her no
dissolution of the continuity of her
spiEsterhood.
She was good natured about it, how
ever, and let Mr.. Culver go on with
whatever he had to say, for if there
was any man who could make hattery
any more palatable to her than any
other man, that man was Mr.. Culver.
But 1t wrs soon over, and when he had
fixed himself comfortably in an easy
chair with which he was familiar, he
seemed to have forgotten whether
Susanna looked like a fright or a
fairy, anu began talking about all sorts
OF things, rs people do who talk for
the mere SAX Of talking.
At ell events, that's the way it pre-
sented itself to- Susanna, inc she felt
the spirit of desperation slowly creep
Ing over her. She took a long breath
for encouragement, and tentatively
turned the subject of conversation upon
the most recent wedding which had
occurred in their circle.
"What a pair of fools they were and
are" said Mr.. Culver, sententiously,
"to marry on nothing but his salary,
and that not big enough for two"
But they are happy" argued
Susanua. (,
suppose so," Mr.. Culver un.
willingly admitted; cit takes fools
to be happy; wise people know too
much"
"Are you wiser" questioned SUI
anna, ~nervously, for she felt that she
was launching herself at this point
upon an unknown sea.
"I'm old enough to be-" Mr.. Culver
frankly responded. Is
"Isn't there something somewhere
about the old fools being the biggest P"
laughed Susanna.
"But Pm not so old as that yet"
"Ah ~ and her eyes twinkied. els
yours o case OF
Standing with reluctant feet,
Where the silly seasons meet? ?"
Mr.. Culver assumed a more serious
air and there was nj smile on his face
when he replied there was rather O
shadow of regret.
Yes, Miss Susanna" he said, 81
do stand reluctant, for 1 think if / had
been more OF q fool in one regard /
would have been less OF a fool In anoth-
81. That Is to say, q man ls q fool to
&-No4 III. ltfo ~1Gcll- ~ ID. n 1890 - -