Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-05-23
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PROPER
WOMAN
By C.. B. Lewis
Copyright, 1906, by Homer Spra0,le


more proper still. AS a young lady,
even her very proper father, Deacon
Wray, and her very proper mother, his
wife, never had to criticise or caution.
AS Hannah kept adding years to her
age and was finally spoken Of us an
old maid her proper father and mother
died, and she went to live with her
brother Dan. =.
Dan was hard headed and hard
working and not ut all a proper person
from some points Of view, but that did
not affect Hannah any. She had been
left $1,000 in cash, had never had
beau nor read a love story, and she felt
that all she had to do in this world was
to keep right on being proper.
One day another proper young wom-
an came to call on Hannah. She wasn't
quite as proper as Miss Wray, for she
had once permitted a young man to
walk home from church with her, but
she was trying her best to be forgiven
by society for that sin.
When she departed she left a circular
on the floor, and Hannah picked it up
and gave it careless look. A moment
later she was turning pale and gasping
for breath. Two minutes later she was
upstairs in her room and blushing as
she read. 1t was a circular from q
matrimonial bureau.
Notwithstanding her properness,
Hannah had heard Of such things, but
only to be Mortified She was Mortified
now. She was also interested. She was
Mortified that her caller should be in re-
ceipt Of such literature and interested
to know If men and women did really
get married through such agencies.
For five minutes she refused to read
further than the heading. Then she
looked oil around her room, gave a
shudder and proceeded to devour every
word. She even read the circular twice
over. It was call to oil those in love
to send on SO cents and receive the
names Of three persons, with whom
they might correspond. On the books
Of the agency, so it was stated, were
the names Of heiresses and wealthy
widows pinlng for husbands, as we'll
as wid0wers with millions and young
men needing wives to help them take
care of inheritances. The reader was
assured that there were governors, sen
ators and railroad presidents making
use Of the agency.
Hannah Wray, found her heart beat
Ing faster as she read, and when she
glanced at the glass she found that she
was blushing. Her first thought was
to rush after her friend and restore the
circular and cut her acquaintance for
evermore. Her second was to keep the
circular and read it over again. OF
course she acted on second thought.
She did more than that. She allowed
her mind to dwell on it and romance
to creep over her unromantic soul, and
after two or three days she could read
1t without blushing.
That should be the end, however.
Never, never would she permit herself
to send away 50 cents and receive the
names. She stuck to this resolution
for three days, and then she sent off
the money. 1t was the first letter she
had ever written to any one except a
relative. 1t was the first time in two
years she had visited the village post
Office. The day the letter was mailed
Dan, Wray's wife said to him as he,
was milking the COW in the barn:
"Say, Dan, something is wrong with
Hannah"
what do you mean?'' he asked.
"She's got something on her mind.
Two or three times today I've caught
her looking in the glass and acting
girly. I'm not quite sure Of it, but 1
have feeling that when she went
downtown it was to post a letter.
What do you think it is?''
II know she had mumps, measles
and the chicken pox the same time /
did," replied Dan after thinking things
over, land she can't be coming down
with any Of those"
"Of course not. Didn't say caught
her acting girly?"
"And what's that?''
''Why, twisting herself and shipper
ing and trying to blush"
"Well, what's that the sign OPP
''Dan. Wray, you don't know beans
when the bags united. It means that
Hannah is in love. Yes, sir; old as she
IS, she's either In love or wants to be,
and it's our duty to keep an eye on
her."
'Well, let her love-" answered Dan
a u In %pNMv nd IN III H.
settled matters, as far as he was con-
cerned, for little while.
In due time Hannah received q reply
to her letter. She had described herself
as single, moderately wealthy and good
tempered, and the agency had sent her
the names Of three rich men who want
ed just such wife as she would make.
II the old maid hadn't been so proper
she would have opened correspondence
with all three Of them. AS it was, she
decided that one was enough. She
didn't even decide that until she had
struggled with her feelings for three
long days.
Curiosity and romance finally got the
better Of prudence and propriety, and
her letter was duly mailed. During the
next five or six days she gave herself
away to her sister-in-law in fifty differ
ent ways, and even the hard headed
brother was compelled to notice that
change had taken place.
"What do you think it is, Damp ask
cd the wife as he sat on the milk stool
again.