COURTED BY CANNIBALS

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 26 June 1912, Page 2

COURTED BY CANNIBALS

Highly favored among women is Miss Siinonton, a dauntless and presumably alluring young American lady, to whom belongs me enviable distinction of having received no less than twenty offers of marriage. Miss Simontoii claims to be the first white woman to explore the tracKiess interior of tlie DarK Continent without tlie protection of a \vuite man. it was near the small French station of Lamborene, on the river Ogo-. we, that tlie first monarch displayed his susceptibility to Miss Siinonton's charms. With a retinue of dusky servitors, bearing a choice collection of knives, tom-toms, quaint and wonderful musical instruments, and other bric-a-brac destined as bridal gifts for the lady, this love-lorn chieftain made a pilgrimage of many days through his native jungles to otfer his hand and a situation a*, "chief wife" to the famous white woman whose exploits had reached his ears. Flattered, but reluctant to avail herself of this dazzling honor, Miss Simonton tactfully declined the oifer and presents. She was very superstitious, sne declared, and had a horror oi the number thirteen. As the chief had twelve wives already she dared not constitute herself the fatal thirteenth. The chief, nothing abashed, suggested giving notice to one of his twelve consorts, so as to keep the grand total down to a dozen. Still Miss Simontoii refused. At this the monarch began to lose patience. "You think you are too thin,'' he said, "1 will quickly make you as fat as my other wives till on the wedding day they are sarcely able to move. But not even to this inducement would the lady succumb. Another chieftain was so sure of his conquest that the announced his engagement far and wide, and. wedding-presents came pouring in from brother-potentates, a singular proof of the progress of European customs in mid-Africa. Miss Simonton found it a difficult task, and one requiring a good deal of tact, to convince her numerous suitors that ther repeated refusals were not due to a mere maidenly bashfulness. They, on their part, found it almost incredible that any woman could seriously decline so lofty and desirable an honor.