Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1909-05-11
WHAT SHE
REGRETTED.
ooooooooooooo0oOoooooo
nx HARRIET l. oEppEa.

BY FAhhtEb l.. 4@0DE8.
Icopyright. 1900 BY American Press Asso-
ciation-l
what shall doT" moaned Miss Oh
sen lat noon tomorrow my annuity
IN the Celibacy Insurance company Is
due, and he has not even proposed"
There is nothing ineligible in this
10 an American spinster unless she
may happen to know Of a certain ad-
vantage possessed by her sisters in
Denmark.
There a celibacy insurance company
exists in which Danish maiden NAV
take out policy that win provide for
her support df she be not married. in
her old age. She pays her premiums
till she is forty: then. unless she has
taken a husband, she receives her an
nuity. If she marries before attain
ing that age, she forfeits the premiums
she has paid.
Lena Olsen had been making pay
ments on her celibacy policy for twen-
ty years, aud in twenty hours she
would be forty and entitled to her an
nuity. And now on the eve of her
reaping the benefit of her self denial a
man had suddenly appeared to inter
fere with the joy she should expert
ence on becoming Independent for the
rest of her life.
Miss Olsen had inherited the little
house in which her ancestors had lived
for two centuries, and to exc out a
subsistence ard more especially to
enable her to pay her celibacy insur-
ance premiums had rented rooms to
dodgers. An elderly American gentle
man had taken an apartment and had
now occupied It for several months.
He had not been well and had come to
her from hotel in order, he said, that
he might be quiet.
Now. Mr. JOhansen. the gentleman
referred to, had been born In Den
mark, but had gone to America when
he was young man. He had returned
to his native country an invalid in the
hopes, he said. that revisiting the
scenes of his youth would restore him
to health. He had been tenderly
nursed by the little old maid and had
given strong evidence that he desired
to avail himself of her services per-
manently.
Miss Olsen made the remark with
which this story begins to her bosom
friend. Miss Jacobson, and Miss Jacob
son had advised her to give Mr.. Johan-
sen some idea Of what was troubling
her. She had promised her friend that
she would try. She went up to Mr..
Johansen with some refreshment as
an excused but returned without hav-
ing mentioned the matter.
The next morning at IL o'clock her
lOdger came downstairs and said:
81 find myself so much better under
your care that | would like to have
you become my permanent nurse. This
can only be satisfactorily and properly
done as my wife. Will you marry
me?''
Miss Olsen looked disappointed. She
did not answer at once, and when she
did there was no hesitation in her
voice
"You make it business proposition.
There is another matter Of business
which looks more advantageous to
me-" And she told him about the In
surance.
1t was Mr.. Johansen's turn to look
disappointed.
Then you would rather live indie
pendently?'
"Yes. without love. / had a lover
once when l was very young, though
no word of love was spoken between
us, for l was but fifteen and he was
twenty-five"
IF were that lover would you pre-
fer me to your annuityT
Il would prefer you to the whole
world. AS it is. prefer my annuity
to you"
This insurance company is all
wrong" he said sharply. 1T makes
women too independent But" he
added thoughtfully, Sin America our
girls are made independent by the
fields open to them in which to earn
living. You say you would resign
your annuity for lover
Yes"
But supposing your lover had &C.
cumulated nothing and, besides. was
broken down In health"
Il would love him all the better"
And give up your annuity for himY'
Yes; l would give up the whole
world for him.
-Humph! Women are strange crea-
lures"
And so are men. You have acted
very strangely toward me. You come
rom l know not where, and l know
not who sent you to me. You remain
under my care, and do all can for
you. You only appreciate this as You
would appreciate It from a domestic.
You would buy It permanently"
At her last words her voice trem-
bled.
Well. l win keep you In the dark
no longer. l am JOhan Housen- As 4
grown man loved you when you were
a chit went to America, made =
fortune and have returned to ind you