Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-11-20

IDg business, too, l have no dOut
Leads up to quite train of ides
Corn, wheat, staff of life, quaint o
mill, and rustic bridge in the dis
ance, miller sitting on it. / woI
der" dreanily, ssif Browning ev,
wore white hat? And if so, why
Don't all speak at once. Well. 81
IS a very pretty girl. Such eye
you know! / really congratula'
you, my dear fellow.''
"Wilding," desperately, "can
you do something? IL don't kno'
how it happened. It was the chan
pagne, | suppose, and of course sh
is pretty; but / don't want to MARI
anyone, and | know the governc
won't hear of it,"
He will have to hear of it now
won't hep" asked WiIding unfee
ingly.
such a thing was even limited t
him." declared Snooks wildly
TRY to help me out of it, WiIding
can't you?
81 don't see what there is to d,
except marry her. / only hop,
Lady Snooks and Miss Cornchand
Ter will get on. And you shoulC
think of her beauty, you know
doubtless it will console you wher
Sir Peter cuts you off with the Gus
tomary shilling"
81 suppose L had better cut my
throat and put an end to it," sail
SnOoks dismally; and then, over
come, no doubt, by the melancholy
of this suggestion, he breaks down
and gives way to tears.
g say, don't do that, you know, y
exclaimed Wilding Indignantly
Weeping all over. the place won't
improve matters, and will make
you look worse fool than nature
intended, when you go out of the
room. Ii you have put your foot in
it, at least try to bear misfortune
like man. Look here!" angrily,
''if you are going to keep up this
hideous boohooing I'll leave the
room, and you too, to your fate. It's
downright indecent. They will hear
you in the next house if you don't
moderate your grief"
AS the nearest house was a quar-
ter of mile off, this was rather Sc
we're.
ST shouldn't care if they heard me
in the next town." said Mr.. Snooks,
who was quite too far gone for
shame.
''There is just one chance for you,
and only one," said Wilding, slow
ly. 81 have an idea and you must
either follow it or-go to the altar"
"pll follow anything, eagerly.
What is it ?''
"You have proposed to Miss Ka-
tie," sOlemnly; ''nnw go and pro-
pose to the other three"
As Wilding gave vent to his idea,
he turned abruptly on his heel and
left the room.
"I'll do it," said Snooks valiantly,
drying his eyes and giving his breast
a tragic tap, "whateVer comes of it."
Going into the hall he saw Hetty
standing near an entrance; a little
way beyond her was Kate, convers-
ing with a tall and lanky youth.
Not daring to glance in the direction
of the latter, who plainly expected
him to come straight to her on the
wings of love, he turned and asked
Ttetty to dance.
They danced, and then (it was
custom with the ball-goers in that
mild suburban neighborhOod) he
drew her out under the cleaning
stars and up the dark avenue that
few minutes since was the scene of
her sisters happiness.
There he proposed in due form,
and was accepted. Hetty's conduct,
was a degree more pro-
nounced than Katie's, because she
laid her head upon his shoulder,
and he felt by all laws of sentiment
bound to kiss her. Her nose looked !
lovely in the pale moonlight so l
lare say he did not find the fulfill !
ing of this law difficult.
After that he had some more, a
good deal more champagne and |
hen he proposed TO Miss Georgia,
who also consented to be his. There !
low remained but one other step to
De taken. He crossed the room and |
tsked the youngest Miss Browning
o dance. He was getting rather
mixed by this time. and was on the
very point of asking her to marry
him instead, so customary had the
question grown to him now. Miss
LILLY, however, declined to dance,
IN the plea that she was tired, and
,Ould exert herself no more that
hight. With questionable taste he
pressed the matter, and begged her
o give him just one. At this she
old him frankly that she did not
Idmire his style of dancing, which,
# course, ended the conversation.
10 he asked her to come for a stroll
and having arrived at the
spot, delivered himself
# the ornate speech that had already
lone duty three times that night.
forget what it was, but | know 1t
wound up with the declaration that
le adored her and wanted to marry
Ter.
"It's extremely good of you, Pm
ure, " said the youngest Miss Brown
ig, calmly. "But, uncivil as l fear
t may sound, don't want to mar
"Don't you, by Jove!" said
nooks, hastily. "Well, that's aw-
lilly ki-No, nOr' pulling himself
p with a start; 81 don't mean that,
Ou know; l mean it's awfully hor-
id, you know. "In fact" warm
az to his work through sheer graft
lde, "you have made me misera-
lie forever; you have broken my
cart"
"Dear me, how shocking ~ said
Iiss Lilly, frivolously. "Let us
ope time will mend it. Pm not
cry sure you did not speak the
nth at first. ! really believe it is
ind, my refusing you. And now,
lr. SnOoks, if | were you, ] should |
0 in and say goodnight to mann
Ia, because you have been having
good deal of papa's champagne,
nd it is trying to the constitution" I
Snooks took the hint, babe fare
ell to Mrs. Browning, who, to his
eated imagination, appeared to
gard him already with moist
nd motherly eye, and. taking I
arm, drew him out of the !
ouse.
"Well ?" said the latter interrog-
lively.
81 don't know whether it is well
: i'll" returned he gloomily. "But |
followed your advice and proposed
, 'em ALL"
"And they accepted you ?"
"Most of 'em. But Lilly, the
she"
ttT ALWAYS said cba u,ac a SanSihIa