Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-12-29
"A OtOenEY-four
Hour Romance.

that Miss Sarah Bingham was thirty
seven years old and unmarried and
that she had romance In her soul, but
1t 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-
iieve 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 summer hotel on the banks
Of lake. They didn't consult her TO
nance as much as their own interest.
They had two children and o 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 a 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 a 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? II she did, then all
was well; II she didn't, then alas! II
has been stated that Miss Sarah did
have romance and dotted on 1t, but the
next thing was to prove 1t 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. She
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 a dollar to
her name
One woman asserted her belief that
the missing female had eloped with a
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 a dog and two children to
weep and wall by themselves should be
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 q
mint julep with two straws in 1t, and
why worry
Miss Sarah had entered the wood
with her heart afiame with romance.
She hustled her way along for half a
mile and then halted foF~the actor to
arrive at the head of resenlng party.
He didn't arrive. She waited for an
hour and then started to walk back
Her feelings were hurt. and she lost
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 II 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 II.
Seated at the door of the cabin was
a middle aged man In homespun. He
rose up and addressed her as "marm"
and wanted to know all about It, When
he had been told he declared that It
was the romanticist thing he had ever
heard Of In her wanderings she had
walked seven miles. She had escaped
bears and 'Injuns" and wildcats, and II
she wasn't what they called a heroine
then he didn't know a talrnip from q
''tater bug"
Miss Sarah was tired, and she rested
She was hungry, and he fed her on
pudding and milk. She wanted to get
back to the hotel and enjoy her tri-
umph, and he yoked up his oxen to
the lumber wagon and drove her there
through the moonlight. The guests
saw her coming and got ready to re
ceive her There was icy frigidity.
There was a general attitude Of doubt
and suspicion. There were sneers at
romance. when the humiliated and
embarrassed maiden looked at the
actor In an appealing way he turned
bis head aside and made II very plain
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