The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1917-04-12
A Race For a
Wife
He Got His Answer In Lap
land Fashion.
By ELEANOR l. BRITTON

he had visited every country on the
globe, and | verify believe that if
aviation had come up in his day he
would have sailed up beyond the
clouds to find others. When l made
his acquaintance he had settled
down in a place he called by jaw
breaking name signifying "dwel-
ling" that he had picked up among
the Eskimos or some other benight-
ed people.
Spitzburger was a widower, with
one child, a daughter. She was
twenty years old and for half her
life had travelled during half of
each year-the summer season.
with her father. Heredity and travel
had made her as odd as he. Rather
she was unique. She was of medium
height, 1.-THE, wiry-indeed, femi-
nine athlete of the featherweight
type. Her hair was black and
straight as an Indians; her eyes
large black ones, with lashes of the
Spanish type. I wondered if her
mother had not been some dusky
semiciviized creature her father
had picked up on the underside of
the world. But he told me his wife
had been an American creole.
The reason for my making the
Spitzburgers' acquaintance was this:
I was taking postgraduate course
at the time, studying the customs
Of different races of men, the causes
and effects which shape them and
their relationship. Desiring some
information as to the people of Tt
bet, land forbidden to foreigners
and therefore little known, l was
recommended to Spitzburger as one
who had penetrated to the interior
of that country. ! went to see him,
and my visit led to my studying
with him.
How long I remained there
doesn't matter, but it was sufficient
for my enthrallment by that 'little
savage" as I called his daughter,
Irene.
The only thing to indicate that
Irene and l were drifting together
as lovers was that we took long
walks together. I made an excuse
for this that in her company I could
both exercise and study. This was
true. I could get from her certain
information of the domestic habits
Of the people she had visited that /
could not get from her father. One
day while we were on one Of these
walks I said to her:
"Your father tells me that in
Lapland to marry girl without
her parents consent is punished as
q crime. Please tell me how man
in that country does his courting."
"He goes to her parents and asks
for her. If he is refused there is
no hope for him. If they approve
Of his suit they tell the girl of it.
She may or may not have seen the
lover, but the process is the same
in either case. Her parents give a
feast at which they, the girl, her
suitor and mutual friends are pres
ent. The two principals are placed
opposite each other at table, where
they can observe and talk with each
other all they like.
"After the feast all 60 to an open
space suitable for running a race. A
course is marked off-a quarter of
q mile usually-and the girl is given
a handicap of a third of the dis
tance. The handicap is intended to
enable her to win the race easily if
she wishes, and if she wins that in
dicates her refusal of the offer. But
If, on the contrary, she purposely
hgs and her suitor catches her, that
indicates that she accepts him for
her husband"
It was a month after this that,
having got all out of Spitzburger
in the line of my studies that l de-
sired, 1 went to him and asked him
for his daughter.
"1 will inform her of the honor
you do her." he said.
I waited a day for reply, and as
] received none the suspense threw
me into an awful fret. At the end
Of the second day, the situation be-
ing the same, / was almost dement,
ed. On the morning of the third,
determined to have the matter out
with Irene, | asked her to 60 for
walk with me, the last we would
take together before my departure.
She assented and went up to her
room for her wraps. She was some
time getting them, and when she
came down what was my surprise to
see that she had put on a skirt