The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-09
ONE C0URTSHIP.
give Pretty Much Made Up My Mind
to Get Married."

give Pretty Much Made Up MY Mind
to Get Married"
From Anne Warmers 1.-THE Marrying
of Susan Clegg," in Century,
Susan and Mrs. Lathrop were great
friends, although there was some eight
or ten years difference in their ages,
Susan was AZ, but Mrs. Lathrop had
married young, and this fact caused
her to feel ever youthful, and thus to
be companionable to her girl friend
over the fence. Then, too, ever since
the death of Mrs. Clegg, some twelve
years before, Mrs. Lathrop's advice had
been indispensable to the others ig-
norance. l dare say there are some
who may smile just here and consider
that at 80 Miss Clegg should not have
needed much motherly counsel; but
until one has really arrived at the age
of 80 1t is impossible to convince one
how really immature said age is, and I
can personally vouch for the fact that
mother is just as handy to have. about
then as she is at any earlier period.
Mrs. bathrop had always had a good
deal of time to devote to her friends
affairs, because her family consisted OF
but one son, and she was not given to
that species of housekeeping which
sweeps under the beds too often. Miss
Clegg had somewhat less time because
her father (wavering between 70 and
SOD was bedridden paralytic, and had
been so for over twenty years. He
was of necessity a great care and she
did her duty by him b6th vigorously
and conscientiouslyj- but the years in
bed had led her to confound the bed
with the father and to refer to them
both as one united factor in her do
mestic economy. Friday morning she
al hnECalf aNryoxr a. -
fence with the remark, well, 1 must
be gettin' back to beat father up an
put him on his clean Sheets" and such
phrases as i've got father into new
pillow Slips" or Next spring 1 mean
to have fathers hair picked over an
get him a new tick were ever rife
on her lips. She was generally very
cheerful and quite resigned to her lot,
but occasionally she had a spell of
feeling that the world had more to
offer than she was getting.
"If father should live to be a hun
dred," she said one afternoon in June
as she and Mrs. Lathrop held a parley
on the border line Of their respective
kingdoms-"if father should live to be
a hundred. / wouldn't stand much
show O. gettin' married afterward I'd
be sixty, an, even with q good new
wave, sixty is sixty"
Mrs. Lathrop chewed her clover.
Nobody but a man o. seventy's GO
in to marry me at sixty. That'd make
me bury father just to begin on some
one else. / got to thinkin' about 1t
last night, an I've been keepin' on this
mornin', too, an can see tk at II I want
to get married at all, I'd better do it
now. There's no time like the pres
ent. This worlds made for the young's
wells for the old. Besides, If I do II
before cold weather, he'll pay for half
of next winters fuel. Then could
make my things along durin' the sum-
mer-I amt got nothin' to sew on since
finished my dress for the funeral.
You ought to see that dress, Mrs.
Lathrop; it's Just as nice. l put II
away with camphor balls, an stuffed
newspapers in the sleeves. There's
nothin' to do when father dies but
shake it out an lay 1t on his bed
cause o. course that day fatherll have
the guest room--an' the black gloves
an two black-rimmed pocket handker-
chiefs is all ready in thee pocket.
Mrs Lathrop took a fresh clover
$50 I've pretty much made up my