Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-04-15
How Her Father Helped the BashfuI
Lovers.

THERE'S no foolishness about some of
the fathers of Dubuque County who have
manageable daughters, and they know
how to precipitate business when the
fruit is ripe for the plucking, and hangs
wasting it's sweetness when it should be
plucked. Matters were brought TO a
climax with rush, at a certain farmers
residence in Vernon Township, on Fri
day night last. A young tiller of the
soil had for months and months been
paying most assiduous attention to one
of his daughters, but he was such a
bashtul, modest chap, never having been
much in the company of girls, except
this one, that he had never been able to
raise his courage sufficiently high to pop
the all-important question. He had gone
to the house in which his admirer lived
upon at least twenty different occasions
resolved to know his fate, but when
ushered into the presence of the fair one
into whose keeping he had placed his
heart his courage would invariably ego
back on him." and he would return to
his lonely room in greater suspense than
before. Upon the evening in question
he had determined that come what
would he would tell his Mary he loved
her. He would once for all decide the
matter; but as upon each former occa
sion he could get the proposal no farther
than his throat. There it stuck, and he
had just determined to gulp it down and
give up the siege when the door opened
and IN stalked the girls father, who ad-
vanced to where they were sitting and
thus addressed them:
6 came in to put stop to this in
fernal foolishness. 1t amt the counting
expenses that Pm looking at, for coal
OILS cheap an wood can be had for the
haulin'; but Pm sick an tired of this
billin' an cooin' like pair of sick doves;
keeping me awake O. nights, an it's got
to be stopped right here. Mary Jane,
look up here. Do you love John Henry
well enough to marry him."
why, father, I-I-you must"
Stop that durn foolishin'," yelled the
old man. "Answer yes or no, and
mighty quick, too. It's got to be settled
now or never"
"Well, but, father, don't you know
if you'd only wait and"
"Dry up; answer yes or no. Speak"
roared the old gent.
"Well, yes, then. There, now," and
Mary again hid her face.
"That's business; that's the way to
talk. Now, John, look here-look up
here or I'll shake you all to pieces. Do
you want that gal O mine for wife?
Speak out like man, Low"
Why, Mr.. -, amt this rather al
mean, can't you"
"Speak it out, or out of this house
you'll go headforemost / won't wait a
minute longer. There's the gal, an
likelier gal amt in the State, an you
just heard her say she wanted you. Now,
John, I won't stand bit o. foolin'; once
for all, yes or no."
"Well, yes, sir, have been presump-
tuous enough to hope that /"
ooh, cuss your soft talk; the s-ling's
settled now. You two blasted fools
would have been six months more at
that job that I've done in five minutes.
Inever see such fooling as there is
among the young people nowadays.
Amt like it was when | was young-an
now, goodnight. You can talk the thing
over, an you an me, John, III go to town
an git the license tomorrow. Soon be
time to go to plowin'-no time for love-
maxim then. Goodnight, goodnight;
hope wasn't too rough, but | was de-
termined to fix the thing up one way or
'tother;" and the old man went back to
bed
Now that the ice was broken the young
people laid all their plans for the future,
and John felt just little bad at the COM
fort he had lost, when Mary looked al
him slyly, and said:
"This would have been all right four
months ago, John, if you hadn't been so
skeery; know'd all the time that you
wanted to ask me; but it wasn't my place
TO say anything, you know"
No cards.-DubuQue Times.