Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-03-25


szn8a ha4 been seeking sAe voul
Row lead right up to the matter ar
find q listener to her proposal
"Why don't You marry, Nh. Culver
she asked with directnesA "YOu Al
not too wise 10 consider the question,
hope"
"Cert1iniy not, Miss susanna"
smiled i've been considering Il Il
twenty years"
Then you ought to stop considerin
1t and pop it." Susanna laughed an
Mr.. Culver also.
II hardly think I'll ever do that"
said. seriously. 81 wouldn't know ho'
to go about 1t to make myself haIf prt
sentable. I've given hyself un 20
know, asa bad job"
"SOme Of these new women will b
charging down on you ~ne Of the>
days, teaching you the newer doc&rtn
that women have the right 10 "a.
, whether you have the right to d. will
yourself as you please. In othAr wsrds
some one Of them WIN capture yeu u
spite Of yourself"
mot much they WENT" assorted Mr
| Culver, with q great show Of esaraxc
'If there is anything 1 don't wa1t Il
| marry It's q woman with foel nos5oni
/ of that kind"
Susanna,s heart went dow1 b h.
shoes on ths inst2nt Here was a1 IN,
surmountabls obstacle In her pafA, and
with Mr.. Culver holding to GncA n
opinion what good wemA q prOpssal
lie from her even II she should master
up courage enough to make It The
thought made her mute for . minute,
and in that minute a new th0uxAt cnme
one that had been there before, but had
gone wool gathering while she wai
beatin around the bush with the new
woman idea.
Il think myself they are h0rrtd." she
said. with an effort to swallow NOME
thing that would not 90 down very
easily. But there Ii the lAap year
can claim that. and you muzurt forget
that this is leap year"
Il had forgotten /, ;" he said, moving
mis- chair over into the far corner Of the
fireplace. but still not 20 far away that
he was out of the pleasant influence of
Susanna's neaness. He sat there for
IN instant. making himself shfver with
terror. and then he moved back, posi-
bly, little nearer than before.
"Forewaned is forewarnsd." she
said, ''and now that l have told you OF
the dangers ahead I hope you will prof.
by my advice"
"Oh, I'm not afraid" he asserted In
q good voice. I'm Just waiting for that
sort of thing. Ths custom or tradition
or whatever you may call IT Il An oldl
one and only an old-fashien1
ed woman would think Of II, and that Isl
the kind want. So mono of them had
better Try it unless she means bust
hess"
Surely no finer opening could be pre-
to a young woman In her mood
than this, and Susanna gave herself q
little shake and took another long
breath. The time had come, and shs
was not the woman to lose SO Sloriou
M opportunity.
Mr.. Culver" she began, In . firm
voIce and with great earnestness. d
have 4 long time been thinking that
you ought to marry, and l have even
gone SO far as to select just such q
woman as l think would suit you d
lad two or three consultations with
ler and she is willing that should pre-
Ient the matter to you. because know
you SO well and you will understand II
~ 81.
,ent it herself
This impersonal style was eminently
,leasng to Susanna, and she felt that
Ter task was not going to be SO hard
.fter all. but she had not considered
Dr. Culvers views sufficiently.
When she was about to proceed fur
her with her remarks Mr.. Culver
,howed signs Of real anxiety and arosd
0 his feet
Miss Susanna" he exclaimed, sdon'x
;ay another word Really, cannot Lis,
en- to It"
But must say It to you," she insist
ID. because, as 1t seemed to her, that
vas the proper way to conduct . sue.
>essful courtship, and now that she had
oesun II she most decidedly wished II
20 be successful
Il tell you I won't hear II. This II
ng in my conduct has ever warranted
you in broaching this subject to me-"
Mr.. Culver was evidently in earnest
and Susanna almost chuckled to her
self, for this was the very way young
women acted under the circumstances
IN which Mr.. Culver was placed. All
Il needed now was little moro coaI-
ing. and Susanna nerved herself for
the final pop.
Perhaps you have not thought so,"
she said In her softest voice, but to
me there has ever been a desire to say
70 you what 1 am now saying. Mr.
and Susanna came very
close to him, Notwithstanding she was
50 nervous she hardly knew what t.
DO.
Hold on. Susanna, hold on" he e1'
"Confound it-(that shocked
her, for she knew no girl had ever talk-
ed that way under such circumstances,
however much she might have thought
It)-I don't want you to be talking in
any other woman's interest. There II
only one woman IN the world that I
want, and-and-and-(Mr. Culver was
getting nervous himself now, and eu-
sanna gasped)-and oh, Susanna" he
said, desperately, don't you know that
woman u you? You, Susannaf Dom
you know it Is your
Mr.. Culver caught SusannA's two
hands In his and looked Into her two
eyes with such q pleading, pathetic, In
tense sincerity that all her plans were
as q straw in a fierce blaze.
and she simply tumbled into his arms
and let him finish the proposal she
she had begun in such q mas
terly manner.
And Mr. Culver finished It with gilt
tering success, much to tho relief Of
Miss Susanna Morton. spinatarcNeW
York Sun.