Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1880-06-07
2S5 MAIN STREET.
no TINE.
How An Iowa Father Facilitates
Business.

s.. Louis Republican,
There is no foOlishness about some
of the fathers of Dubuque county,
Iowa, who have manageable daugh-
ters, and they know how to precipi-
tate business, when the fruit is ripe
for picking, and hangs, wasting its
sweetness when it should be plucked.
Matters were brought 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 assiduous attention
to one Of his daughters, but he was
such a bashlul, modest chap, never
been able to raise his courage sufi-
GENTLY high to pop the question.
He had gone to the house in which
the lady lived at least on twenty diff
ferent occasions, resolved to know his
fate, but when ushered into the pres
ence of the fair one, in whose keeping
he had placed his heart, his courage
would invariably go back on him."
and he would return to his lonely
room in greater suspense than before.
Upon the evening in question be had
determined 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 oc-
c%asion, he could not get the proposal
further than his throat. There it
stuck, and he determined to gulp it
down and give up the siege, when the
door opened ard in walked the girls
father, who advanced to where they
were sitting and thus addressed them;
Il came out to put a stop to this
foolishness. 1t amt countin' expenses
I'm lookin' at, for coal is cheap
and wood can be had for the haulint
but I'm sick and tired of this billin'
and cooin' 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, I--I-you must"
"Stop hat foolishin'," yelled the
old man. Answer yes or no, and
qniek, toe: It's get 80 be settled now
or never"
"Well-but father, don't you know
if you'll only wait, and"
Dry up; answer yes or no. Speak,"
reared the old gent.
well, then, yesl 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 a wife?
Speak out like a man now"
why, Mr., amt this rather a
Il mean can't you"
Speak it out, or out of this house
you'll 60 head foremost. | won't wait
a minute longer. There's the gal,
and there amt a 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 no?"
"Well, yes, sir. l have been pre-
sumptuous enough to hope that l."
"Oh, stop your soft talk; the thing
is settled now. You two fools have
been six months at the job that |.
have done in FIVE minutes. | never
saw such foolin' as there is among
young people nowadays. Amt like
when | was young-an' now, good
night. You can talk the thing over
an you an me, John, II 60 up to
town an get the license to morrow.
Soon be time to get to plowin'; no
time for love-making then. Good
night, good night; l hope / wasn't too
rough, but | was determined to fix
the thing 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 a 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. | knowed all the time that
you wanted 10 ask me, but it wasn't
my place TO say anything, you know"