The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-06-17

initial silence up to this point, "and in
deed I have reason to think that am
different in this respect, but if so be,
so be it. I shall stand on the distinc-
ton of being the one old maid who
never had a chance to marry. You
know they say every woman does have
such an opportunity and as I'm only SO
suppose ought not be discouraged.
But I'm getting to be SO proud OF my
record that I really don't want to spoil
it, and if any man ever does propose to
me now, it will be when I'm not look
ing I'm so anxious to be the one eX-
ception that proves a rule that is such
a. comfort to my sex. 1t may be that
men still propose-but not to me. am
perfectly serious when tell you that
although I have been out for IS years,
and have not as I think may say
without boaStfulness, been altogether
failure, never having hung very heavily
on my chaperOn'S hands, thanks 10 the
good-nature and kindness of my men
/ friends, no man has ever asked me 10
marry him.
There had been a chorus of laughter,
groans, signs, jeers and exclama tons, all
! more OF. less incredulous or openly Scorn-
full from her companions, at these re-
| marks, but the old girl only 2auseo 70
| thread needle and then went on: 4
won't say that I couldn t have had pro-
/ posals, but I never have had them 1
1 won't pretend that men haven't been near
1 the point, far as a person OF my mex
/ perience could Judge, but for one reason
| or another I was never willing that they
should go on, and they didn't 1 will not
! say that haven't been loved, and Will
not say that I haven't loved. Maybe
+ was like the StanlawS girl in Puck, VINO
| loved and was loved. but it wasn't the
/ were so impetuous that I couldn't ward
| off their declarations, and had no wish
/ to hear one unless was willing to accept
| the lover There was man once VINO
pursued me for the traditional seven years
but I am no Rachel He used to tell
me, write me, telephone me and telegraph
me how much he loved me, threatened to
commit suicide and swore that he would
/ have me yet-but he never asked me to
/ marry him don't know whether this
! was intentional or a mere oversight. But
/ it made no difference. couldn't DO any
! thing for him any way. He finally pro
posed to some one else-I suppose. At least
/ he married her.
And then there was the man, you all
know about him. who died of fever in
! South America. Everybody said we were
| engageq' DuI we WerS 5, I. l never nau d
| proposal from him, although he was de-
| voted to me before he went away and
| wrote to me almost daily until he was
! taken i'll He may have loved me. 1 DO
| not know and I don't know whether
| loved him I hadn't been asked to, and
| never thought much about it. It was long
7'Io tears, Miss sentimentality,'' shaking
her head at the debutante. I am very
comfortable and I have never been a wall
| flower yet, but observe that I am pounding
| wood. Some women, they say, must live
singly, and who could get along better in
that state than I? Oh, yes, it may be.
suppose you are trying to cheer me up
but / assure you don Z need II, IN the
least. There is a certain distinction in my
case. really believe that there is no
| other like it in the world-an old maid
who has never had a proposal. But DON
think on that account that I wrote the
Sunday article you were talking about.
suppose men do stil propose, although L
have no way of absolutely knowing.
AS we were saying, women use very lit
tie common sense in matters of dress. OF
course they can't use what they don's pos
sess, but that is neither here nor there.
Now, out here in Kansas we have the
most disagreeable and oppressive neat
during the months of July and August, Of
any climate in the world except Nebraska,
which is just like it. No, the tropics are
not excepted, because in all these coun-
tries there is a mountain a sea breeze
or something to relieve the heat, and the
nights are always cool. Here our only
breeze is as though it blew directly from
furnace, half our summer nights are
sitting and there is no relief except from
occasional showers.
Nevertheless the women in this locality.
their own, designed to suit this climate,
and to make them as comfortable as pos
the north and east-the women who spend
their summers in the mountains or at the
seashore or at the lakes. Just as rev
years ago, because the women VINO roe III
carriages, introduced fashion Of trailing
skirts for street wear. every woman took
it up, even to those who never rode in 4
carriage in their lives and those who were
even obliged to walk to their work IN the
morning in order to save car fare. this
summer every woman is going to wear a
coat because coats are fashionable Linen
coats duck coats, lace coats, silk coats,
chiffon coats, are all in vogue and the
fashionable eastern woman wears one con-
tinuousIy this season. It is not enough TO
carry it over the arm; the coat must be
worn over the lingerie blouse and with a
skirt to match or correspond. Some OF the
coats are very tiny-short in the waist ana
sleeves mere zouaves or boleros. buL IN
any case they are inappropriate FOR our
climate where we jump from weather TOO
cool for them, directly into swelter1ng
midsummer when a thread of extra cloth
ing is q punishment.
Also the fashionable eastern women who
establish the styles and of course always
spend the summers at the cool resorts
have, as has already been stated, given
their approval to the china silk slip to be
worn under the lingerie waists this sum
1ner, and it is going to be considered nigh
" Improper before very 1ong-nark my
Word-for arms and shoulders to show
through thin. lacy, peek-a-boo waists We
4 shall all be wearing the high necked, long,
or at least elbow, sleeved, slips under our
lingerie waists before the summer is over
though we melt in them, just because wo-
men whom we have never seen and never
will see and who have never heard Of US
and wouldn't think much of US If they
had, have set the fashion Alack a day
that women should have so little sense