Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-17
nea f,cxlr LOVER.
Susan 3. Anthsay's Narssw Escape iron
BsiaS Married.

lsembled in the long. Old-fashloned parlor
one evening, and listened to the following
interesting story. The mountain air was
sharp, and fire had been kindled In the
big brick fireplace and the logs cracked
and famed on the cleaning brass and
irons. Chairs were arranged in a semi
circle around the cheerful hearth. and
seated therein were women of renown.
living representatives of womens prog
ress in the world of letters and In the
! lecture field. First and best revered was
Susan b. Anthony herself and as the
/ for story, romance of the past con-
| temporary with the surroundings. Aunt
Susan was importuned to relate some of
her experiences.
| Tell us some of your love stories"
| they all cried as one.
| But | never had any worth telling
she declared. There wasn't a bit of ro-
nance in any of my affairs. l always
said, like the old maid, that the man I
wanted wouldn't have me- and those that
wanted me were SO bad that the devil
| himself wouldn't have them" But Miss
| Anthony wasn't to escape SO easily and
! it ended in her relating the following
| tale.
| The room was lighted only by the flick
ering freight. which shone on Miss An
thongs face as she talked. silhouette-like
| against the dark shadows in the back
ground.
| Then she told how one time when she
was travelling through some Western
state. holding conventions, many years
ago. when she was not more than thirty
| five years old, she was entertained at the
house of "a young man who made himself
particularly agreeable to her. He had
spanking team of grays. and whenever
Miss Anthony had to go to town this
young man and his grays were at her dis
posal. She was announced to speak in a
town some miles distant. while there. and
wnen they were all ready to start this de-
voted young man had arranged it so that
Miss Anthony was to ride with him alone
In his fine turnout. After they were nice
ly started he came to the point al once
with:
.Wil you have me?''
What for?' was Aunt Susan's blunt
| reply.
"Wil you marry me?' the sutton con-
| tinued. Then he proceeded to tell her of
| his worldly possessions. his fine house.
his lands. etc, all of which should be at
| her command If she would only take him
along with them. He promised Aunt Su-
san that he would never stand in the way
of her chosen work but that on the con-
| trary. he would help her in any way in
his power to further the suffrage move
ment. He pointed out to her, with all the
persuasive art which man SO well knows
how TO use. that her life was Il hard one.
Knocking about from pillar to post. and
that it would be much easier with him to
help and comfort her.
Miss Anthony listened as women have
since the first woman was tempted by the
serpent. and she concluded that her life
was rather a hard and lonely one and
that it would be mighty nice to have a
hne home to go to when tired and weary
with her ofttimes thankless labors. But
she felt that she could not decide so mo-
mentous question with SO little time for
serious consideration. and SO she told the
amorous sutton. She was to be gone
week at the convention. and she asked
him TO wait for her answer until her
return, which he agreed to do.
Miss Anthony did not say what her de-
cision had been. but imagine her surprise
and disgust to learn upon her return that
the faithless swain had in the mean time
married another woman. and was even
then enjoying a wedding trip with her
Yes. he did not wait for the weeks pro-
baton. and the second bride. more wise
than Miss Anthony had been, did not wait
for his ardor to cool. but accepted him on
the spot and married him at once. Miss
Anthony has often wondered since what
her life would have been if she had done
likewise.
The next story was told by Mrs. Rachel
Foster Avery. She chose as her subject
Miss Anthony's trip abroad. This was
some fifteen years ago, and Mrs. Avery.
then Miss Foster of Philadelphia accom-
panied Miss Anthony to be her Gears and
tongue. as Mrs. Avery expressed it. for
Miss Anthony could speak only her ma tive
tongue. and. like many other Americans
she did not see why the rest of the
world did not speak her own language
Miss Anthony's intense Americansm wa,
also manifested in her use. or. more cor
rectly speaking, her misuse of foreign til
ties. During her travels she met peers
and princes of the highest degree. Tut she
was never for the life of her able to cali
them by their correct titles. And. to
make matters worse. she invariably gave
them title of lower degree than their
rank demanded. For instance a countess
she would address as madam" a prince
or princess as count" or Countess"
duke as count and SO on through the
list. Then she never called them twice
by the same title. mixing things up in the
most bewildering manner. and usually
ending by calling them Mr.. and Mrs.
Miss Foster usually gave Aunt Susan les
sons on the use of titles before each of
their visits. but it made no difference; be-
fore she left the result was always the
same.
one of the most amusing incidents hap
pened while they were in Rome. One of
the princesses of the royal family to
whom they had presented letters called
one day to take them for a drive. She
had with her Il pet dog. and Miss Fos-
ter was passionately fond of any cynine
specimen and Miss Anthony equally de-
tested them, Miss Foster and the dog sat
Nis-a-vis to Miss Anthony and the prin-
cess. Doglike, the little animal, from the
safe shelter of the carriage chased
across the seat from one side to the other
| and over Miss Foster. to bark at every
dog that it saw on the street. IN the
, mean time Miss Foster was thus occupied
with the dog.
Miss Anthony was entertaining the
princess and vice-versa. The latter could
speak English, and so they got along very
nicely. but for Miss Anthony's miscon-
cepton of the title. She addressed the
! princess as Countess 'lady." Ouch
css, and even Mrs" but in spite OF
Miss Fosters gentle treading on her toes
| to remind her. she never got it ''prin-
cess. Then the princess in the sweetest
manner possible said to Miss Anthony:
when was born my family were
! reigning princes" But 1t was all lost on
Aunt Susan" She didn't take the hint
During the drive they passed magnifi-
cent old palace belonging to the Oldest
Roman families. and the princess ex-
planned to Miss Anthony that it was only
| one of five which the family owned all
equally grand. Miss Anthony was silent
for some moments. and when the princess
asked her what she thought of it, this re-
doubtable American replied:
what a magnificent orphan asylum
that would make
OF course. the princess was Mortified at
the suggestion of such sacrilege and
| so expressed herself. But Miss Anthony