The Savannah morning news., 1904-02-07


from the man, sworn to before notary
and duly signed and sealed, stating
that he did the proposing, l should
decline to marry, or announce my en-
easement to be married in Leap Year.
II is one of the drawbacks which the
snecial privilege of Leap Year confers
upon women that it puts them under
suspicion of having done the counting
if the thing comes out during the
year"
Don't you worry about that
laughed Mrs. Pedagog. You can go
through this country with a fine tooth
comb and I'll wager you won't find
q woman anywhere who avails herself
of the privilege who wouldn't have
done the same thing in any old year
If she wanted to. OF all the funny
old superstitions, the quaintest of the
lot is that Leap Year proposal bust
ness
How you talk cried the Idiot.
"Such iconoclasm. had always
supposed that Leap Year was sort
of matrimonial safety valve for old
maids and here in a trice you over
throw all the cherished notions of a
lifetime Why, Mrs. Pedagog, l know
men who take to the woods every Leap
Year lust to escape the possibilities.
Courageous souls" said the land
lady. Facing the unknown perils of
the forest, rather than manfully meet
ing a proposal of marriage"
ut is hard to say no to a woman."
said the Idiot. I'D hate like time to
have one OF EN- come to me and ask
me to be hers. Just imagine it. Some
dainty little damsel of a soulful nature,
with deep blue eyes. and golden cutls.
and pearly teeth, and cherry lips q
cheek like the soft and ripening peach
and a smile that would bewitch even
4 Saint Anthony, getting down on her
knees and saying, %, Idiot-dearest
ldiot-be mine-I love you, devotedly,
tenderly. all through the Rogets The
saurusly and have from the moment [
first saw you. With you to share my
lot in life will be heaven itself. With
out you a Saharan waste of Arctic
frigidity. Wilt thou?' l think I'd wilt.
l couldn't bring myself to say No.
I3thelinda, l cannot be yours because
my heart is set on a strengthful dam
sci with raven locks and eyes of coal,
with lips a shade less cherry than
thine. and a cheek more like the apple
than the peach, who can go out on the
you ever need a brother in your bust
ness am the floor-walker that will Ill
rect you to the bargain counter where
you'll find the latest thing in brothers
at cost I'd simply cave in on the in
slant and say, All right, Ethelinda,
call a cab and we'll trot around to the
Little Church Around the Corner and
tie the knot: that is. my love. if you
think you can support me in the style
n xKh Oh 7 nm ,fa1s
Mr.. Brief laughed. II wouldn't bother
if / were you, Mr.. idiot" said he.
Women don't tie up very strongly to
Idiots"
oh, don't they" retorted the Idolt.
We'll, do you know, l had a sort of
notion that they did. The men that
some of the nice girls l have known
in my day have tied up to have some
how or other given me the impression
that woman has special leaning
towards Idiots. There was my old
sweetheart, Sallie Virgins, for in
stance-that wasn't her real name, of
course, but she was one of the fin
est girls that ever atterMed a bargain
sale. She had a mind far above the
ordinary. She could read Shopenhauer
at sight; understand Browning in a
minute her soul was as big as her
heart and her heart was two and a
half sizes larger, than the universe.
she was so strong minded that al
thought she could write poetoy she
Wouldn't,and in the last year of her sin
gle blessedness she was the Queen-pin
among the girls of her set. What she
SAID was law, and emancipation of her
sex was her only vice. Well, what do
you think happened to Sallie Virgins?
After refusing every fine man in town,
including myself must say I only
asked her five times; no telling what
d sixth would have brought forth
she succumbed to the blanderhmentS of
me first sapheaded young Lochinvar
mat came out of the West, married
hm and is now the smiling mother of
nine children, does all the family sew
ing makes her own parlor bric-a-brac
out of the discarded utensils of the
kitchen, dresses herself on $50 de-
cade and is happy"
But if she loved him" began the
LAWYER.
Impossible" said the Idiot. "She
Mued him. She knew that If she
.Gidnt marry him, and take charge OF
nm another WON D. would, and that
me chances were ten to one that the
other woman wouldn't do the thing
nsht and that Saphead's life would be
ruined forever"
But you say she is happy" persisted
the Lawyer.
-. Certainly she is" said the Idiot.
Because her life is an eternal sacrifice
~ oaphead's needs, and If there IS a
luxury in this mundane sphere that
woman essentially Graves it is the lux
eIy Of sacrifice. There is something
!aHdtlc about it. Sallie Virgins volun-
anly turned her back on seven men
mat know Of, one of whom is a Gov
SHor Of his state; two of whom are
HoW IN Congress, one of whom Is a
iuuse Of a state court; two of whom
naEe become millionaire merchants;
auu the seventh of whom is to-day,
~ bly,, the most brilliant ornament
VI me penitentiary. Everyone of 'em
u.Red down for Saphead, man who
parted his hair in the middle, couldn't
earn seven dollars century on his
WIS is destined to remain hopelessly
tnoolning, keeps her busy sewing but
o oonS on his clothes, and to save his life
Nyuuht tell the difference between
s.ualthew Arnold and an automobile,
oa u yet you tell me that women don't
'are for idiots"
he MISS Wiggins-or Mrs. Saphead," to
a. more precise" said Mr.. Brief SIS
'', ny, one instance"
Nell-there was Margaret Perkins
TS'ile town-same experience" said the
s,o Lovely girl-sought after by
tb.. ynody-proposed to her myself FIVE
So president of the Mental Culture
sDs!'.t,y Of Baggville-graduate OF
IA, e-woman-member of Board of
sti,',,7 1lon-Director OF Young Girls In
rensuule-danced like q dream-had a
ana OK humor-laughed at my Jokes
~ ,narried-what?"
Dppell' what?" demanded the Lawyer.