The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-10-09
Proposing Under Difficulties.

fleluer.
eyes, l." made reply, not without q
little pique. "And why not II I am
not quite fossil YETI
"Why, you are fifty years old, Uncle
Nick" Ai.
"Granted. What then ?"
"And your teeth are false and you
dye your hair ~ persisted Tom.
i am not the only man In New
York in the same predicament, Master
Tom"
Well, 1 never heard such jolly
lark ~ exclaimed Tom, with a long
breath "But 1 wish you joy, am
sure"
"You are premature" said 1 sol
emily.
Il haven't proposed yet"
"Oh ~ said Tom. I thought it was
all signed, sealed and settled And who
is the radiant object of your alteration,
Uncle Nicholas ?"
Tom, my boy, don't chaff. 1t is
serious business with me, / can tell
you. Do you know Miss Barbara Gar
land ?''
Don't II That fat old girl with the
prodigious emerald and the complexion
like red, red rose. And she's to be my
aunty-in-law, eh ?"
81 regard her as the sweetest and best
of her seX.' / made answer solemnly.
"Well," observed Tom, obviously,
"all's well that ends well. / must say,
Uncle Nicholas, that it was rather q
stagger at first, but L am getting rec
onciled to it by degrees. Won't Julia
be astonished."
Julia was my nephew's wife - a
dimpled young bride of eighteen, who,
of course, thought that nobody out of
their teens had any right to marry or
to be given in marriage. Besides, if 1
took wife, what was to become of the
expectations that had been built up on
my bachelor head.
However, fate was fate, and Julia rec
onciled herself to the inevitable, on con-
dition that would take dozen tickets
to the private theatricles which she and
her sister, Miss Genevive Darling, were
getting up.
cit is nothing to you, dear Uncle
Nicholas, with your wealth, said Julia,
fixing her appealing blue eyes upon my
face, "and it is SO much for the cause of
charity. Say two dozen tickets, Uncle
Nicholas p''
Then you'll call on Barbara and
welcome her into the family, if-if-'
If she'll consent to join US, yes, of
course" said Julia, all the dimples play
ing around her mischievous mouth.
gave check for thirty-six dollars
for the twenty-four engaged seats, and
presented most of the tickets to clerks
in my Office. / didn't dare to send one
to Barbara Garland, for Mrs. Garland
was thrifty, and would not approve of
money dealt out in this reckless sort of
fashion. And went myself and sat
through the dreary lapses Of +" London
Assurances" done in very jerky anna
teur style, with great deal of audible
prompting, and no end of awkward
pauses and sudden graspings at the end
of dismembered sentences.
And split pair of kid gloves open
in applauding Julia as Lady Gay
Spanker," flung dollar bouquet at
Genevive as "Grace Harkaway," and
felt that 1 had done my duty and bought
the allegiance of my nephew Tom and
his family.
All this came to pass between one and
four of a sultry afternoon, and from the
pretty little private theatre ] jumped
into cab and went straight to the house
of Barbara Garland.
Barbara didn't live anywhere, she
only boarded; but she had handsome
parlor all furnished in blue and white
cretaine, with Dresden shepherdesses
and the windows filled with MOSES, ferns
and foliage plants,
was silently surveying these floral
specimens, and trying to rehearse fit
ting form of speech in which to declare
my love, when the door creaked, and
Barbara came in, plump, pretty young
woman of forty. And Barbara in her
black Grenadine, with red cheeks and
glossy brown hair, was equal to any
bread and butter school girl that 1 ever
saw.
whirled around on one heel, precip-
itately forgetting my lesson.
"Go-good-morning, Miss Barbara"
said 1. 81 mean good-afternoon. 1
hope YOU are not engaged particularlv