The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-10
How She
Proposed
A Story For Leap Year
By ELINOR MARSH


Professor Poland of - Woman's
college was lecturing to his class. his
subject being customs in India. He
had excited considerable attention
while dwelling upon the suffice. the
girls showing great indignation at the
immolation of widow on her nus
bands funeral pyre. A hundred pens
taking down the lecture scratched
fiercely on as many notebooks. From
the suffice he passed to the products OF
the country, and the pen scratching Tell
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
price to be paid by the suitor before
marriage. A parent having very
beautiful daughter or being able t.
settle on her a large dOwry Will some
times put so high price on her tha'
: such Young men as desire her cannot
afford to pay it. This makes a marke
for marriageable women. Widows may
he had at very low price.
4 hum of expressions of amusement
apnrobation or dissatisfaction inter
rupted the lecturer.
"When a father finds that he ma
e been holding his daughter too high an
wishes, so to speak, to put her on tn
bargain counter laughter he does no
tack card to her on which Is WRITER
'Special,, as would he done in Americ
If we had any such marriage custom
i He adopts a much more poetic methot
q He marries her to IA bouquet of flower
n and throws her husband into wei
i Since he must be drowned the Bird
!, becomes widow. This is a notifies
ZION 10 IHe NOuhS AiIN' ''''S - ~
be had cheap.
Professor Poland, who was youn
man of twenty seven, paused ana shoN
ed n white set of teeth under his dai
mustache in a smile which was meal
N to be partial unbending from his pr
i, fessional dignity. A ripple OF anus
. ment passed over his auditors, and
was about to return to finish OF &
10 products of India when Belle Hallida
one of those girle who go to college
let Off surplus stock of mischi'
arose to ask a question. Professor |
land paused and looked mt her inqu
IN ingly.
~ This being leap year." she said,
ne occurs to me that this wedding to
on flowers might be used by girl as
i'll delicate way of proposing to the m
+. of her choice 1t would be equivalt
to saying, 4 may be had for Sol
buy me-"
The class Uttered. The profess
looked at the ceiling. then made
~ following reply:
on "Your method Miss Halliday, wol
he involve a knowledge on the part OF
- man proposed to of the Indian Gust
u"' In question, which he would not
A. likely to possess.
"Oh, didn't think of THAR A
Miss Halliday sat down in preten'
confusion. Bnt IL there was any c
fusion In the matter 1t was with
professor, who was ut the disadv
Vi tage of being one man among mi
lcit women. He made an attempt to sn
you then went on with his lecture. but
!, I not again strike anything as inter
e. ing to his class as the matter or
being welded to bunch of flowers
her husband being thrown into
:. Professor Poland's lecture was dc
cred in February, and Miss Belle
liday was graduated in the follow
rrT June at the foot of her class. AS
49, been said, she did not go to colleg
study, but to have good time.
joel was philosophic about it. "Why sh'
pri- l make a grind of myself when all
the rest of the class are grindsf II 81
Ice. my time studying who would do
deviltry2 IL were destined to n
00A my living ds u ICuShOA "NN'N 49,
apply myself. But I'm not to tie
I'm to be married"
E Got him picked out, BELIEF" ask
ton chum.
A. "Yes"
-. HAS he proposed"
'iA'e "No, and / don't expect him to
lect- pose. This is leap year. and In
nary to do the proposing myself"
:, "Going to be married to a bunc
I. flowers and throw your husband
welIT'
Maybe"
The chief reason underlying
ARD Halliday's indisp6sition to max
dacy grind of herself she did not men
.hool Her father was a rich man, and
- was an only child. Besides what
eH0e erty she might expect from him
D. possessed a fortune in her own I
inherited from a grandmother. In
n 1t would be difficult to find a re
why she should. like the busy bee
prove each shining hour over deaC
can guages, mathematics or philosoph
COM which she would have little or nc
sub since the probability of her conf
ratio want was very remote.
rate But Miss Halliday was bright Ell
to get what she wanted, and in Of
spect she knew very well VIVA