The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1880-08-03
A WOOin. Which Was fastened.

There is no foolishncss about some of the
fathers Of Dubuque county, Iowa, who have
1uailiageable daughters, and they know how
20 pleClritate business when the fruit is ripe
Iur p~lucking, and hangs. wasting its sweetness
when it should be plucked. Matters were
brought to a climax with a rush at a certain
taI mer'S residence in Vernon township, re-
Gently. a young tiller of the soil had for
months been paying most assiduous attell-
lions 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 not been able to raise
MS courage sufficiently high TO pop the ques-
ton.
He had gone to the house in which the
lady lived at least on twenty different &C.
casions 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 Invariably go back on him "
and lie 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
that he loved her. He would once for all de
termine the matter; but, as upon each former
OCCASION, he could not get the proposal
further than his throat. There it stuck, and
lie determined to gulp it down and give up
he siege, when the door opened and in
walked the girls father, who advanced to
where they were sitting, and thus addressed
them:
~ came ont to put a stop to this foolish
ness. 1t amt courtln' expenses Pm lookin'
at, for coal is cheap, and wood can he had
for the hauling, but Pm sick and tired of this
ulllin' and cnoin' like a 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 him?"
"Why, father, IL must"
stop That foolishin'!' yelled the old man,
Ans"e r yes or no, and quick, too! It's gol
to be settled now or never"
"Well-but, father, don't you know-it
you'll only wait and"
DRY up; say yes or no-speak " roarst
the old man
well, then, yes! There, now," and Mar.
again hid her face.
That's business; that's the way to talk
Now. John, look ~h-re-look up here, or III
shake you all to pieces. Do you want tina
gel o mine for a wife? Speak out, now lik'
a man"
"Why, Mr.. -, amt this rather al meal
can't you--"
"Speak it out. or out of this house you'll
60 head foremost. l won wait a momen
longer. There's the gal, and there aiL't
likelier gal Ia the state, an you just hear
her say that she wanted you. Now, John,
won't stand a bit Of foolin'. Once for al
yes or no ?"
"Well, yes, sir. l have been presumptu
GUS enough to hope"
"Oh, stop your soft talk the thing is sci
tied now. You two fools would have bee
six months more at the job that l have don
r in five minutes. l never saw such foolin'
there is among young people nowaday'
Amt like when l was young-an' new goo
/, night. You can talk the thing over. an ye
/ an NE, John, III go up to town an get I'll
. license tomorrow. Soon be time to get
plowin'; no time for love maxim then. Coo
night, good night l hope l wasn't too rougl
but l was determined to fix the thing or
, way or t'other y and he went contentedl
back to bed.
4 Now that the ice was broken the youi
| people laid all their plans for the future, an
z John felt just a lutte bad at the comfort l
E had lost, when Mary looked up at him sly
; and said:
"Tbis would have been all right montl
: ago, John, if you hadn't been so skeery.
/ kno~ed all the time that ysu wanted TO a,
/. me, but it wasn't my place to say anythin
you know."-St. Louis Republican.