Miseries of an Old Maid.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 204, 21 May 1887, Page 4 (Supplement)

Miseries of an Old Maid.

There she is, a poor, lone spinster,. in a nicely-furnished room— sofa big enough for two ; two arm chairs,, two book-shelves, two looking-glasses - — everything haunting in couples except herself! I don't wonder she's frantic 1' She has heard that there ' never was a soul created but its twin- was made somewhere,' and she's a melancholyproof that 'tis a mocking, falsehood. She gets tired of sewing — she can't knit for ever on that eternal stocking — (besides, that has a feHow to it, and i£r only an aggravation to her feelings)*. She has read until her eyes are halfblind — there's nobody to agree with her if she likes the book, or argue the point with her if she doesn't. If she goes oui for a walk, every woman shemeets has her husband's arreu To be sure, they are half of them ready to scratch each other's eyes ; but that's a little business matter between themselves. Suppose she feels scientific and goes to evening lectures, some ruffianly coward is sure to scare her to death on the way. If she takes a journey, she gets hustled and boxed about among the cab-drivers, and porters, and baggage touts ; her band* box gets knocked in, her trunk gets knocked off, and she's landed at the wrong stopping-place. If she wants x load of wood, she has to pay twice a* much as a man would, and then she gets cheated by the man that unloads, it She has to put her own money in the bank and get it out, hire her own carriage, and hand herself into it«| People tell her 'husbands are often great plagues/ but she knows there are times when they are indispensable.