The Press., 1916-05-10
How She
 Proposed A Story For Leap Year
By ELINOR MARSH

Professor Poland of = Woman's college was featuring to his class, his subject being customs in India. He had excited considerable attention while dwelling upon the suttee, the girls showing great indignation at the immolation of a widow on her hus- bands funeral pyre. A hundred pens taking down the lecture scratched nercely on as many notebooks. From the suttee he passed to the products of the country, and the pen scratching fell of so perceptibly that the professor was admonished that he was losing his hold on the interest of his class. He kept a number of slips, on each of which was written some bit of infor- nation calculated to attract the atten- ton of young women, and, taking up one. he interpolated 1t into his lecture.
 Among the singular marriage GUS toms of different people there Is one in India which is very delicate"
 Every pen of the hundred young ladies began to send forth sympa thetic sound.
 "A father will hold his daughter for a price to be paid by the suitor before marriage. A parent having a very beautiful daughter or being able to settle on her a large dowry will some times put so high price on her that such young men as desire her cannot afford to pay it. This makes a market for marriageable women. Widows may he had at very low price,"
 A hum of expressions of amusement, approbation or dissatisfaction inter- rupted the lecturer.
 "When a father finds that he has been holding his daughter too high and wishes, so to speak, to put her on the bargain counter [laughterl he does not tack card to her on which is written Special as would be done in America if we had any such marriage custom. He adopts 8 much more poetic method. He marr1es her to a bouquet of flowers and throws her husband into a we'll Since he must be drowned the bride becomes a widow. This is a notifica- tion to the young men that she may be had cheap"
 Professor Poland, who was young man of twenty-seven, paused and show ed a white set of teeth under his dark mustache in a smile which was meant to be a partial unbending from his pro- nessional dignity. A ripple of amuse- ment passed over his auditors, and he was about to return to a finish of the products of India when Belle Halliday. one of those girls who go to college to let off surplus stock of mischief, arose to ask a question. Professor Po- land paused and looked at her inquir- ingly.
 "This being leap year." she said. ''it occurs to me that this wedding to the flowers might be used by girl as a delicate way of proposing to the man of her choice. It would be equivalent to saying. I may be had for a song: buy me-" a-
 The class Uttered. The professor looked at the ceiling, then made the following reply:
 "Your method, Miss Halliday, would involve knowledge on the part of the man proposed to of the Indian custom in question, which he would not be likely to possess.
 "Oh, I didn't think of thatv' And Miss Halliday sat down in pretended confusion. But if there was any con- fusion in the matter it was with the professor, who was at the disadvan- tage of being one man among many women. He made an attempt to smile, then went on with his lecture. but did not again strike anything as interest ing to his class as the matter of q girl being welded to bunch of flowers and her husband being thrown into well.
 Professor Poland's lecture was deliv- cred in February, and Miss Belle Hal nday was graduated in the following June at the foot of her class. AS has been said, she did not go to college to study but to have good time. She was philosophic about 1t. "Why should I make grind of myself when all the rest of the class are grinds? If spent my time studying. who would do the deviltry? If I were destined to make my living as teacher I would need to apply myself. But Pm not to teach: I'm to be married.''
 "Got him picked out. sBelle?" asked a chum.
 "Yes." i
 Has he proposedT' ..9
 'No, and don't expect him to pro, pose. This is leap year, and intend Co do the proposing myself"
 Going to be married to a bunch of flowers and throw your husband in 2 well?'
 Maybe The chief reason underlying Miss Halliday's indisposition to make a grind of herself she4did not mention. Her father was rich man, and she was an only child. Besides what prop. erty she might expect from him, she possessed a fortune in her own right inherited from a granAtzhother. Indeed 1t would be difficult te find reason why she should, like the busy bee, i'm prove each shining hour over dead Ian. guages, mathematics or philosophy for which she would have letle or no use, since the probability of her coming to want. was very remote.
 But Miss Halliday was bright enough to get what she wanted, and in one re- spect she knew very we'll what she wanted. She wanted Professor Pc land. But Professor Poland was in re- eeipt of an income of $1.5OO a year and possibly might in the course of ten years be worth twice that to the cause of education. Miss Halliday knew very we'll that the modest young man would never have the assurance to propose for the hand of an heiress.
 q hope" she said to Professor Po- land when they separated at com mencement time. that this will not end our acquaintance. have always been greatly interested in your in struction and am indebted to you for having helped me through several ex- aminations which would without your assistance have sent me home to finish