The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-04-02
NJ Answer to Enigma In last weeks
TIMES" Pay for your paper"
Mr.. Digby Pops the Question.
BY BRIToMAnTE.
81 I'LL do I'll" quoth Mr.. Dlgby, with
flourish of his red bandanna.

"Is Ilkpy lOi0Ou tilb aiilS 0OiOSo bO
portly breast and paced the lilac-border-
ed walk with the air of Napoleon
The truth was, Mr.. Digby had come to
determination. He had made up his
mind.
Now, Mr.. Hiram Digby was q bach
elor, aged forty-one, fat, rosy, good
natured and rich. Also, Mr.. Digby had
q pretty good share of mans vanity. He
was fully convinced that to obtain the
heart and hand of pretty Nan Harris, he
had only to declare himself. This was
the question upon which he had been
pondering full hour by the kitchen
clock. Should he marry Nan Harris, or
shouldn't hep To be sure, she had blue
eyes and hair like spun gold, and her
cheeks were rosy as winter apples, and
she had the most tempting little rose
bud of mouth in the world; but then,
she was so flighty, always up to some
mischief or other; and thrifty Mrs.
Fisher, Mr.. Digby's house-keeper, had
once expressed her belief that whoever
married Nan Harris might as well mar
ry kitten"
But then again, Mr.. Digby was
in love with merry, blue-eyed Nan, and
-and-just then he happened to glance
over the garden wall, and who should
he see but Nan herself, in the prettiest
of pink calicos, and coqueitish, blue
ribboned sun-down," while the little
tin-pail in her hand told that she was
going strawberrying.
That glimpse of his divinity decided
him. Little darling what if she was
mischievous, and wilful, wasn't she the
prettiest little witch in Simondsville2
and wasn't all the young fellows in love
with her and wouldn't some of them
marry her if he didn'tY That last con-
sideration was " sumner" and settled
the question and giving utterance to
the energetic exclamation chronicled
above, Mr.. Digby entered the house fully
resolved to settle the bargain the very
next day. He thought of his broad
acres and heavy bank account, and did
not doubt it would be easy to win the
consent of farmer Harris and Aunt
Nancy.
The next day Mr.. Digby spent exactly
two hours and thirty minutes getting
himself up in killing style for the ordeal
which, truth to say, he began to dread a
little. 1t was entirely new business to
him, something he had never done be-
fore, this popping the question. And,
though he would never acknowledge it,
even to his wife, he did feel very much
like running away as he stood on the
farmhouse steps, asking the ''help" if
Miss Nancy Harris was in."
go yes, sure, Miss Nancy was in the
front room,' and the girl ushered the
trembling Mr.. Digby into the pleasant
little sitting-room, which looked so pref
ty and inviting, with its red lounge and
white table-cover, standing out plainly
from the twilight shadows that made
everything else look SO dim and indis-
| tinct.
He plucked up sort of desperate
courage, however, and the sight of the
pink dress and white apron sitting by
the window and approaching the wearer
of said pink dress and white apron, he
Immediately came to the point, as fol.
| lows
" Miss Nancy, have called to-hem-
to - hem-to tell you of the = ahem--
hem-hem ~ and here the old bachelor
(beg his pardon) entirely broke down,
and sat looking at his thumbs, hopeless.
ly wondering what to say next. =
AS the lady didn't speak ,he concluded
to try again; and, resolving to be plain
he blurted out bluntly:
Miss Nancy, will you marry me ?"
There it was out. And his heart
gave jump, as he heard whispered
"yes," and hand stole softly into his.
Leaning impulsively forward, he kissed
her cheek-or her nose, he couldn't tell
which, it was so dark. aiD
There issued little sly giggle, and
80 fie now! Hiram, dear amt you
ashamed ?" in the voice of-Aunt
Nancy
Holy Moses have been and gone
and proposed to the old maid ?' Mr.
Digby would have said as well a:
thought, if he had dared. But he didn't t
so he grabbed his hat, and mutterine
something about ian engagement
ma'am," he jerked open a door, ant
rushed into the pantry.
La, now, Hiram" said Miss Nancy
the elder. as he made q frantic dive al