The Forrest City times., 1896-07-17
fOkkEsI CITY, ARK, FRIDAY AFTERNOON, JULY H. 1896


iy more So" He smiled, but there was
that in the tone which he'd the ring of
insincerlty, or at least superficial and
society sincerity, which is very nearly
the sane thing, and which made Su-
sanna despise the fattery of men that
so far had meant to her no dissolution
of the continuity of her spinsterhood.
She was good-natuIed about it. how
ever, and let MIR. Culver GO on with what
ever he had to say, for if there was any
man who could make fiattery any more
palatable to her than any other man
that man was Mr.. Culver. But it was
soon over, and when he had fixed him
self comfortably in an easy chair with
which he was familiar he seemed to
have forgotten whether Susanna looked
like fright or fairy, and began talk
ing about all sorts of things, as people
do who talk for the mere sake of talk
ing.
AT all events, that's the way it pre-
sented itself to Susanna, and she felt
the spirit of desperation slowly creeping
over her. She took long breath for en-
couragement, and tentatively turned
the subject Of conversation upon the
most recent wedding which had &C.
Cured in their circle.
What pair of fools they were and
are" said Mr.. Culver, sententiously, ITO
marry on nothing but his salary, and
that not big enough for two"
"But they are happy" argued Susan
ma.
Il suppose SO" Mr.. Culver unwilling
ly admitted; ''it takes fools to be hap
py; wise people know too much"
"Are you wiser" questioned Susanna.
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, for Mr.. Culver's age
was too well known to be denied, and too
great to be hid under bushel.
Isn't there something somewhere
about the old fools being the biggest ?"
laughed Susanna.
"But I'm not so old as that, vet"
"Ah!" and her eyes twinkled. "Is
yours case OF:
Standing with reluctant feet,
Where the silly seasons meet?"
Mr.. Culver assumed a more serious air
and there was a smile on his face when
he replied; there was rather a shadow
of regret:
"Yes, Miss Susanna" he said, "I do
not stand reluctant, for think if l had
been more of a fool in one regard l would
have been less of fool in another. That
is to say. man is fool to waste his life
selfishly as have DONE"
This was the auspicious moment
Susanna had been seeking. She would
now lead right up to the matter and
find listener to her proposal.
"Why don't you marry, Mr.. Culver ?"
she asked, with directness. "You are
not too wise to consider the question,
] hope"
Certainly not, Miss Susanna" he
smiled. I've been considering it for
20 years."
Then you ought to stop considering
it and pop it." Susanna laughed and
Mr.. Culver also.
said, seriously. II wouldn't know how
to go about it, to make my case half
presentable. I've given myself up, you
know. as bad job"
Some of these new women will be
charging down on you SOM of these
days, teaching you the newer doctrine
that women have the right to say
whether you have the right to do as
you please with yourself. In other
words, some one of them will capture
you in spite of yourself"
Not much, they won't" asserted
Mr.. Culver, with great show of cour-
age. IF there is anything l don't want
to marry it's a woman with foolish no.
tions of that kind"
Susanna's heart went down to her
shoes on the instant. Here was an in.
surmountable obstacle in her path, and
with Mr.. Culver holding to such an
opinion, what good would a proposal
be from her, even if she should muster
up courage enough to make it. The
thought made her mute for a minute
and in that minute new scheme came,
one that had been there before, too, but
had gone wool gathering while she was
beating about the brush with the new
woman idea.
Il think myself they are horrld," she
said, with an effort to swallow some
thing that would not go down very cas-
lily. But there is the leap year priv
ilege. All women, new and old, can
claim that, and you mustn't forget that
this is leap year"
II had forgotten it," he said, NOV
ing his chair into the far corner of the
fireplace, but still not so far away that
he was out of the pleasant influence
~ Cusapnosc uaarparc He so+ +ba,o