Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-03-20
THE TEST.
.. y y
How an Eccentric Belle
Exposed the Motives
of Her SuitOrS.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

Wy tAptIltu an dDSDlultlN new
sensation. People who hadn't known
the late Eleanor Stevens Immediately
began to inquire into the history of the
woman whose name was coupled with
SO singular an announcement, and peo-
pie who had known Eleanor Stevens
forthwith revived long lists of her GU
rious fads and fancies, concluding al
ways with the declarations:
well, it's just what you might ex-
pect from Eleanor Stevens"
Personal-The rejected suitors OF the late Miss
Eleanor Stevens may hear something TO their ai.
vantage by communicating with willard Pratt,
solicitor, 4eS Cheapside, h. c.
Now, Eleanor Stevens had been by
no means either the crotchety old maid
or the rattle Drained young one that
these remarks might imply. On the
contrary she had been n rarely charm
ing and gifted young woman, well born,
well bred the heiress of a fortune-in
fact, the possessor of beauty, brains
and money sufficient to equip half a
dozen so called society bellies. But in
because of them-Eleanor Stevens had
been an eccentric, and with every year
since her debut her eccentricity had be-
come more marked. At times, for ex-
ample, she would dance and golf, at
tend teas and talk small talk to eligible
young men with persistency and sue
cess that made her for the time the sun
Of society's solar system.
Then suddenly and with no excuse
whatever, she would withdraw herself,
refuse all invitations and spend a
month or more in studying Buddhism
or In 1nquiring into the condition of the
poor in great cities.
AS to her suitors, the most remark
able reports had existed concerning
Miss Stevens treatment of those
gentlemen. 1t had been said by some
that each in turn underwent a period
of suspense hung, like Mohammed's
coffin, between earth and heaven, at
the end of which time he was always
lowered to the former element by Miss
Stevens unqualified refusal Certain
malicious rivals had even claimed that
at times these proposals were so nu-
merous that Miss Stevens used printed
forms of rejection, like those sent by
- ~ -" man u'Ii 'p'o,
date
In the end society had concluded to
accept the girls vagaries as simply
Eleanor Stevens way"
lu t"'' ~, ,oi N',''" ii'u nceh Aiaue 10
SoNei niu''i'uue Vi ouu''les' ranging
lloln 'ne wearing oi larse nats Wnen
n'"i '''eS were 'iie l"Shioli " MISS
'il' 'uC''''ii anu NY '''i' 'o"S uepdI-
tuie ior 'ne cohtlhenI eAac'l! Two
uH!s "l'er sue uau taken apartments
LOT 'ie summer win Il party Oh lrienus
at sou'h coaSt watering place. IN
ueeu' "ueu' SIN nohths aIlef her aD-
rupt departure ihe hotlce came OF the
young helresS sudden ueath- -uhattenu-
eu' except py her mald ana companion
IN some obscure village IN the Black
lores'' even her lrlehus couid ma no
phrase that so well expressed their
shocked surprise as:
well that was Just like Eleanor
stevens she couldn't even die like
other people!
And now, following upon the news of
her strange death, had appeared this
still stranger notice.
Eleanor Stevens rejected suitors!
Who were they? Would they present
themselves according to directions?
What were the advantages they would
gain by so doing?
To the last Of these questions the
public had not long to wait for an an
swer. Three days after the extraordi-
nary personal had made its appear
ance the announcement was made that
Eleanor Stevens had left will and
that this will had been proved.
Before this news was II hours old
the sensation caused 10y the advertise
ment was completely oyershadowed by
that produced by the following clause,