Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-06-23
III.-A DIFFICULTY SATISFACTORILY OyrR.
COME.

CONE.
The morning following our return. had a
note from Tom, stating that he would call that
afternoon on very particular business I men,
toned 1t to Fanny, who laughed, and appeared
TO know intuitiveiy what this "very particuIar
business" was. Tom came in time for dinner
but he ate next to nothing, and seemed un-
commonly nervous. When the things were
cleared away, and Tom and I were sitting
alone with tumbler of negus before us,
brosched the subject.
This very particular business of yours,
Well said Tom, lingering his glass ner-
yously, 81 shall tell you what it is. You know
Julia?'
''Of course do"
Tom gulphed down quantity of negus, and
well, have been thinking-am thinking.
In fact-that isl want to marry Julia-thats :
all about it," and Tom, who had blushed the
deepest crimson to the very roots of his hair.
maze another gulph at the negus, and nearly
choked himself. 1t was with great dificulty
that L could keep from laughing at his embar-
rassment-but / did
Tom, said l, very solemnly, "I did not
expect this of you; at your time of life. too.
with the world all before you! Why' it's
suicide-moral and intellectual suicide. You
think it's all poetry. Ha! my boy, wait till
the curtain lectures commence"
'.Oh come, come, Dick, this is too bad y
said Tom, stirring his negus violently.
"But do tell me this Tom; have Won calcu-
lated the prodigious rate at which children
multiply! Have you read DR.. Nautilus book ?
Ho. Tom, Tom! :" could refrain no longer.
and laughed right out, to the infinite relief OF
Tom, who laughed right out too, and got ex-
cessively jolly at his own expense
Now, then, you know what 1 want" said
ne, at length, "tell me how to go about it."
"Why, propose"
Propose OF course; but how to propose.-
there's the rub. 1 attempted it on four diff
ferent occasions, and always stuck at the tick
ilsn DIT. L thought to propose by letter, and
began half-a-dozen different sheets. but couId
not write one to please me. / tried poetry,
and failed there too. Now, Dick, what L want
Is this want you to tell me exactly how Won
managed 1t, and perhaps 1 could do so to. -
Il popped the question in very simple
way-quite unpremeditated, too I had been
spending an evening with Fanny, and at last
got up and said, (pulling out my watch-this
one) 1T is late. must be off 'Oh, mo- she
SAID, 1t can't be ten yet Look for your-
self She looked and observed the landscane
on the face here
.oh, what a sweet little cottage y she said
pointing to it. Dear me, so it is. I never
looked at 1t particularly before: What wonId
cottage like that for ourselves, eh. and act.
thing down there!' Well. she bIusbed and T
kissed her and said, shall I, love 2, and She
squeezed my hand, which means. ooh do and
so the thing was settled
by Joye." cried Tom, striking the table
with his hand, chats admirable coujd
manage that, think. Dick, give me your
macn Ior u hlght; there's nothing on the face
OF mine" The watches were exchanged in
an instant, and Tom who could not wait mo
ment longer, put off for Royal Circus, in a
state OF intense excitement.
IL seems that on the way Toms excitement
became so overpowering that he was OBLIGED
to fortify himself with two separate glasses of
brandy. He reached Col Purdie's about sir
CLOCK, ana In the course of half an hour or
so lound himself alone with Julia Appre-
nsnsive tnat II he lost this opportunity he
might get no other that night, he pulled ont
the watch and said "Getting late, .JnIia T
must De on Late, why it is not seven vet -
Ism / 1t Look for yourself" said Tom.
turning the face of the watch towards her:
an your watch Is not right look here. -
Julia Looked. "Why it is not seven on yours
either Dear me-" said Tom with an as
sumption Of great astonshment, neither is
fretty landscape that?-this here" $50 il
Is; very sweet cottage" ''Very sweet cot
tage W repeated Tom with great energy 81
say, Julia, what would yOu-whst would Won
say-it would cost to engrave that % Alas
for poor Tom, he had failed once. more
VI TINS, however, was ignorant, and called
next morning 10 ascertain how he had sue
ceeded Tom was out, and as could not wait.
sat down to scribble a note inviting him up
that night to tell me the result / took his
desk, and was rumaging for a scrap of paper.
when my eye fell on a sheet scribbIed and
plotted all over with what l at once perceived
70 De Toms matrimonial proposals in verse
On the first page he had coliec ted a host of
rhymipg words to be introduced as they migl
happen 10 suit his turn. There were bliss and
kiss, sing and ring, life aud wife, and MANY
other sentimental monosyllabes Then there
was julia and peculiar with a query after il;
also Pardy with sturdy, and hurdy- -gurdy, but
ne had drawn his pen through these. He even
attempted Pigder, but apparently without sue
cess. on the next page were his numerous ef-
forts to put these together after various mod
els
To be or not to be, that Is the question"
Then blank line ending with the word " di.
gestlon" scored out After that came
Not word can speak, not a letter or note
Can write to convey my sugg estion"
followed by two blank lines ending with the
word question" Then came an adaptation
of popular song
Beautiful star for star thou art.
Twinkling over my smitten heart;
D, that could call thee mine,
Star Of my bosom star divine -
After this were some curious hexameters
about
His heart being cold and black, and his home
full Of sadness and sorrow;n
and at least half-a-dozen copies, with varieties
OF his greatest and final effort, which was fairly
copied out by itself in the centre of the last
page
" am thine;
Wilt thou be mine?
Tell me, tell me, sweetest Julia.
Say the worde.
Darling Purdie,
None can love you more or trulier
My heart 10 fond,
All parallel beyond,
Although my Poetry's peculiar"
There were many other verses and fragments
OF verses, but this was evidently the master
piece.
hnA l.,