A Final Triumph; or, A Lady Bachelor — page 102: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

100 A LADY BACHELOR. terested, and it is possible, in time, there might have come over her a complete change. But, alas! the reception she received in her attempt to re-enter society was not at al] encouraging. Her aunt, having recovered somewhat from the first shock of surprise, asked: ‘* Did you say you were going to marry?”’ ** Well, something like that, auntie. ”’ There was a lurking tone of humor in the girl’s words. ** ‘Whom will you marry?’’ ‘* Some idiot or some decrepit old widower. Yes, auntie, I must marry, that is certain. ’’ ** Why, my child?’’ ‘* For self-protection, auntie.’’ ‘* For self-protection?’’ repeated the aunt in a perplexed tone. ‘* Yes, auntie; I’ve thought it all over. I must do one of two things: marry, or cultivate a pair of long curls, learn to droop the corners of my mouth, force a severe expression of perpetual disdain to my eyes, reorganize my wardrobe, and haunt the corners of the parlors and indulge nothing but sneers at everybody and everything. Yes, auntie, I must do one or the other. ’’ ‘* Why, my child?’’ ‘* To escape the constant misinterpretation under which 1 suffer; to dispel the constant irritation which assails me; to avoid the tittering contempt of every freckle-faced girl 1 meet who happens to be just twenty. Auntie, you are not blind; you can see lam subjected to constant sus- picion. I am judged to have some fell design in every- Gomichbooks (E©)