The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-12-10
A 6s0enty-four
Hour Romance.

1t is only the solemn truth to write
that Miss Sarah Bingham was thirty
seven years old and unmarried and
that she had romance in her soul, but
it would be ungallant to add that she
was in the matrimonial market and
had been ever since she arrived at the
age of twenty. She had simply wait
ed. She could afford to wait and per-
sisted in giving her age as twenty-five
right along and making herself be-
lieve that time was standing still on
her account
Miss Sarah was feeling in this. Sc
rene and optimistic mood when she
was invited by friends to be their
guest at a summer hotel on the banks
of a lake. They didn't consult her ro-
nance as much as their own interest.
They had two children and a dog, and
they figured on making the old maid
work for her board and lodgings. She
fell into the trap, but not to her detri-
ment One of the male guests of the
hotel, who might not have noticed her
in any other walk, saw her as nurse
and dog guardian and made advances.
This guest was darkly supposed to be
an actor-an actor who played great
parts and made great success of his
job, but who was there incog. and
wished to remain so. The other guests
were respecting this wish, but follow
ing him about with bated breath.
Actors sometimes get queer notions
into their heads, and Mr. Melnotte got
one into his. 1t was that Miss Sarah
would make the greatest Juliet he
ever saw on the stage. She had the
form, the voice. the eyes, the nose,
the chin and the toes. All that was
lacking were cash and manager and
the removal of just one tiny doubt-a
doubt no larger than the head of a
brass pin. Did she have the neces-
sary romance? If she did, then all
was WE'LL if she didn't, then alas! 1t
has been stated that Miss Sarah did
have romance and dotted on it, but the
next thing was to prove it to the actor.
She took two days to cogitate and then
went ahead The hotel was surround
ed by woods on three sides. One
morning Miss Sarah left the whimper-
ing dog and the bowling children be-
hind and started for the green wood
and was soon lost to sight Sh
would be missed, searched for, found
and be talked of as romantic.
Miss Sarah was missed. The idea
was that she had been drowned. More
than half the guests turned out to drag
the bottom of the lake. The actor was
not one of them. Coincident with the
alarm he had been told by a fat wom-
an that Miss Sarah hadn't dollar to
her name,
One woman asserted her belief that
the missing female had eloped with 4
tin peddler that had been seen driving
past the hotel at an early morning
! hour, and in her excitement another
woman said that any young lady that
would leave dog and two children to
weep and wall by themselves should lie
severely dealt with on her return, dead
or alive. These opinions were express
ed to the actor for the purpose Of
drawing him out but he refused to be
drawn. He had just sat down to a
mint julep with two straws in it, and
why worry?
Miss Sarah had entered the wood
with her heart afame with romance.
She hustled her way along for half Il
mile and then halted for the actor to
arrive at the head of rescuing party.
He didn't arrive. She waited for an
hour and then started to walk back.
h,,rt civ
the points Of the compass and became
lost for good. When she discovered
this fact she called and screamed. but
only the chipmunks and the woodpeck-
ers answered. She ran this way and
stumbled over roots. She ran that way
and went splashing into a creek
There was romance in the greenwood
but it was farther on. All that long
long day Miss Sarah was lost in the
depths.
1t was almost shutdown when her good
genius finally guided her to a clear
ing with a log cabin in the midst Of it
Seated at the door of the cabin wa:
, middle aged man in homespun. HI
rose up and addressed her as "marm'
and wanted to know all about it, Whel
|, he had been told he declared that i
was the romanticist thing he had eve
heard of. In her wanderings she hat
. walked seven miles. She had escape,
: bears and "lnjuns" and wildcats, and i
, she wasn't what they called heroine
, then he didn't know a turnip from
5 "tater bug"
Miss Sarah was tired, and she rested
, She was hungry, and he fed her OF
, pudding and milk. She wanted to ge
! back to the hotel and enjoy her tri
' umph, and he yoked up his oxen t.
2 the lumber wagon and drove her Their
through the moonlight. The guest
| saw her coming and got ready to re
Y ceive her There was icy frigidity
S There was a general attitude of doub
e and suspicion There were sneers a
V romance. When the Inundated ant
. embarrassed maiden looked at tn
: actor in an appealing way he turne