The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1905-02-25
HOW eAE REIecrgo A Nan
SAD Fate OF q Young Woman Who Had
IL All Fixed Up.

Sad Fate OF q Young Woman Who Had
II All Fixed Up.
There was once a young lady OF ten
der feelings but arm resolves who
was infiexibly determined to live un-
married. even at the risk OF living an
old maid, but who wished 50 much to
spare the susceptibilities Of her po-
tential admirers that she long made II
her study how to refuse them with
out wounding them. To this end she
read all the novels she could lay her
hands ON and as much poetry as she
could bear. She went constantly to
the theater. and In the intervals OF her
social duties she took serious books.
like biographies and memoirs. out OF
the libraries. and informed herself OF
the methods and manners Of the he-
rOines who declined offers from high
motives
She was. upon the whole. . good
deal disappointed, especially with the
novels These manuals OF the I'm
passiOned emotions seemed TO render
in almost every case blind allegiance
to the law Of ending well, which in
the low conception o. the author was
getting the hero and heroine married
and then dropping them: in the very.
very few cases where they suffered a
giri 70 refuse a lover II was that she
might leave him TO some other girl
who secretly loved him and who would
probably pine away. or partly away.
II she did not have him. This the
young lady thought simply disgusting
and idlOtic; she was a young lady Of
strong e1preasions as well as tender
feelings and HXed resolves. and abe
found the poets not much, II any. more
instructive than the nOyeiistA
They gave examples enough u girls
who did not marry. but Il was because
their lovers died, on did not ask them L
W hen their lovers both survived and
proposed the girls refused them from
pride or from shame or srUrn want Of
presence Of mind and bitterly regretted
IL ever afterward The personal his
tories were largely those Of women
distinguished In the arts, letters and
sciences, whose cOurtships and mar
ria GEES were dismissed Ia a few cold
and indifferent phrases. as Incidental
Of small consequence In their several
cnreerA Where they did not marry
they seemed not To have been cOurted,
and where they were loved Il was In
vague. tentative sort that never Ar
rived a passion.
In spite OF all. however. the young
Lady did evolve. though from the %
ssrvattCn OF life rather than her &C
quaintAncs with Hteru ture, a form ula
Of sympathetie relSction which entire
ly auited her. We will not reveal Il
because It Was 30 charming that u pat
In the possession Of young glrLs gensr,
ally Il would tsTnpt them 70 lts use In
the case Of every offer OF marriage.
But we may conhds that tho young
lady. having lived 70 Witness tbs CON
parauvs failure Of marriage among
her friends. and always liking bSE
friends husbands better than hrF
friends themselves. though Ebs blamed
them for her friends unhappinesa,
made such a study Of their varying
tsmpeEa ments that she knew just
where mems sensibllihss would suffer
most, and % eontriy"d a form 0f TO
fusAl that would iusuy aatter thsii
vanity and console their affections
and at last leave theta grateful fOz
having BEN rejected.
The only difficulty Ghs experiences
was In the application Of her formula
II happened that ths very nrst mar
who offered himself was one WHOM
She had long secretly loved, and an.
instantly accepted him. without as 1
were, thinking. she did not even ap
pear chAgrinsd at the waste q tn
time she had spent In acquiring IN
useless Information stored up for
contrary syentuality. Unless sh'
should become a widow hers mus
ever remain the most signal instanc
Of nisspent research that we couh
offeT-Harper's Magazine.