Perth Amboy evening news., 1903-11-21
AN INTERESTING COURTSHIp.
In Which the Lady Made Up Her Mind
She Wasn't Going to Leave a
Stone Unturned.

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 IL years
before, Mrs. Lathrop's advice had been
indispensable to the others ignorance,
writes Anne Warner, in THE Marry
ing of Susan Clegg." in Century. 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 ar
rived at the age of 80 it Is impossible
to convince one how really immature
said age is, and l can personally vouch
for the fact that a mother is just as
handy to have aboutthe as she is at any
earlier period.
Mrs. Lathrop had always had a good
deal of time to devote to her friends af-
fairs, because her family consisted of
"a OhO GOh, dlld DIG was uOL 6lNCh "
that species of housekeeping which
sweeps under the beds too often. Miss
Clegg had somewhat less time, because
her father ~(wavering between 70 and
S0) was a bedridden paralytic, and had
been sc for over 20 years. He was of
necessity a great care, and she did her
duty by him both vigorously and o n
scientiously; 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 domestic economy.
Friday morning she always tore herself
away from the fence with the remark:
well, | must be gettin' back to beat
father up an put kim on his clean
Sheets" and such phrases as 1--WE got
father into new pillow-slips," or Next
spring | mean to have fathers hair
picked over an get him a new ticA"
were ever rife on her lips. She was
generally very cheerful and quite re-
signed 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 me afternoon in June,
as she and Mrs. Lathrop held a parley
on the borderline of their respective
kingdoms-"if father should live to be
a hundred, l wouldn't stand much show
O. gettin' married afterward. I'd be
60, an, even with a good new wave, 60
is CO."
Mrs. Lathrop chewed her clover.
Nobody but a man o. 70 s goin' to
marry me at GO. That'd make me bury
father just to begin on some one else.
| got to thinkin' about it last night, an
I've been keepin' on this mornin', too,
an l can see that If ! want to get mar
ried at all, I'd better do 1t now There's
no time like the present. This worlds
old. Besides, if l do 1t before cold
weather. he'll pay for hSlf of next win
ter's fuel. Then I could make my things
along durin' the SUMNER 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 it away with camphor
balls, an, stuffed newspaper in the
sleeves. There's nothir' to do when
father dies but shake it out an lay it
on his bed-'cause O. course that day
father'll have the guest-room-an' the
black gloves an two Undetermined
pocket handkerchiefs is all ready in
the pocket"
, Mrs. Lathrop took a fresh clover.
$50 I've pretty much made up my
mind to get married, an I'm goin' to set
about it. Where there's a will
there's a way. I amt goin' to leave a
stone u%nturned, either"