Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-06-17
BROUGHT TO TIME.
How an Iowa Father Facilitates
Business.
from the st. Louis Republican. ]


There is no foolishness about some
of the fathers ofDubuque County, Iowa,
who have marriageable daughters, and
they know how to precipitate business
when the fruit is ripe for picking, and
hangs wasting it's sweetness, when it
should be plucked. Matters we're bro't
to climax with a rush at a certain
farmers residence in Vernon Township,
recently. A Young tiller of the soil
had for months been paying most as
s;duous attentions to one of his daugh
ters, but he was such bashful 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
question.
He hal gone to the house in which
the lady lived at least on twenty differ
ent occasions, resolved to know his fate,
but when ushered into the presence OF
the fair one, in whose keeping he had
placed his heart. his courage would in
variably ego back on him." and he
would return to his lonely room in
greater suspense than before. Upon
the evening in question he had deter
mined that, come what would, he would
tell his Mary that he loved her. He
would once for all decide the matter,
but, as upon each former occasion, he
could not get the proposal further than
his throat. There it stuck, and he de-
termined to gulp it down and give up
the siege, when the door opened and in
walked the girls father, who advanced
to where they were sitting, and thus
addressed them:
Il came out 20 put stop to this
foolishness. 1t amt countin' expenses
Pm lookin' at, for coal is cheap and
wood can be had for the Laulin', but
I'm sick and tired of this billin' and
cooin' like pair of sick doves, keepin'
me awake of nights, and it's got to be
stopped right here. Do you love John
Henry well enough to marry himT'
"Why, father, I-I-you must"
"Stop that foolishin'," yelled the old
man. ANSWER yes or no, and quick,
too. It's got to be settled Eow or
never"
"Well-hut father, don't you know
if you'll only wait, and"
"Dry up; answer yes or no. Speak"
roared the old gent
"Well, then, yes! There, now," and
Mary again hid her face.
THAT'S business; that's the way to
talk. Now, John, look up here, or I'll
shake you all to pieces. Do you want
that gal O. mine for wife? Speak out
like man now."
"Why, Mr.. -, amt this rather q
i mean can't you"
"Speak it out, o: out of this house
you'll go head foremost. l won't wait
a minute longer. There's the gal, and
there amt likelier gal in the State,
an you just heard her say that she
wanted you. Now, John, won't stand
a bit of foolin'. Once for all, yes or
nog
swell, yes, sir. 1 have been pre-
sumptuous enough to hope that p
"Oh, stop your soft talk; the thing
is settled now. You two fools would
have been six months at the job that l
have done in five minutes. l never saw
such fooin' as there is among young
people nowadays. Amt like when l
was young-an' now, good night. You
can talk the thing over, an you an me,
John ii go up to town an get the Ii
cense tomorrow. Soon be time to get
to plowin'; no time for love-making
then. Good night, goodnight; l hope
l wasn't too rough, but l was deter
mined to fix the thing one way or
t'other," 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 comfort he had lost, when
Mary looked up at him shyly, and
said:
"This would have been all right
months ago, John, if you hadn't been
so skeery. l knowed all the time that
you wanted to ask me, but it wasn't
my place to say anything, you know"