Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-04-06
BUDELL'S PROPOSAL.

a private bachelors club for the pur-
poses of whist and other intellectual
occupations, and very good time we
contrived to have together. We hadn't
many rules and bylaws for our club.
We were sworn bachelors, and each of
us had to allege n reason why he did
not intend to wed; but we had 30 far
recognized the possibility of change
Ia our sentiments as to solemnly bind
ourselves to inform the club at once if
we should ever mediate "halVing our
pleasures and doubling our expenses"
Smithers said / hadn't tim e to marry;
| was too POOR; and Marby, who was
regarded as our romantic member,
ave us indefinitely 10 understand that
bighted affections stood between him
and the bymeneal altar. Budell at first
laughed at the idea OF assigning rea-
son, and he wished to allege as his that
he hadn't met Mrs. Budell yet. That
was unanimously rejected by the club;
Nhereupon he insisted upon cur accept
ing al an alternative that he was afraid
of ladies. We were willing to stretch
a point in favor of Budell, who was one
of the jolliest possible fellows at q
bachelor supper, and 80 we received
this second reason. For the rest we
nobiy resolved not to fly, but to with
stand temptation; our maxim was that
every lady Is charming 20 long as one
is not married to her; and we were all
ready to go into society, and even sus-
tain the reputation of being dancing
men," We used to relate to each 9TH
or over our celihate pipes wonderful
stories Of narrow escapes from guileful
women every season; but if these were
all IS dependent upon the narratOr's
fancy for their important details as my
contributions to the conversation, the
escapes were somewhat more than
hair's.breath. Budell was especially a
iavOrite in society; ho was one Of those
rare phen0mena-yeung barristers
with some practice-and he had be.
sides II very comfortable allowance
from his father. Like the rest Of the
club, | had at first taken as joke his
assertion that he was afraid of ladies;
but | gradually came to see that there
was some truth IN ii. SO long as Budell
was IN II large compsny-in ballroom
or any place like that-he was quite at
his G. .se and rs bold as lion; but if by
any chance he happened to fall tom
porary captive to u solitary damsel's
bow and spear, he WAS almost over
whelmed with me- vousness, and his
usual powers of conversation complet-
ly deserted him. | once met him at
the Royal Academy, escorting a very
pretty young lady, and looking as I'M
II n no
than King Herod; and have seen him
trenble ut II mere passing mention of
the conservatory by his partner at
dance. However, i'll the Square Club
he was our most enthusiastic member;
and horror and indignation filled our
souls when we realized the direful fact
that Blu lei was in love, and I'd ing his
best to be married.
Had we been women We might prob
ably have seen the symptoms of the
advancing malady; but we were only
obtuse and short-5ighted men. Now
rs | look back over these months re-
call incidents that might have been
warnings. The gradual decrease of
Budoll's hilarity at the club, aid the
gradual increase of his excursions into
society, could hardly, indeed, have
been portents, for Budell always did 90
more into society than the rest of us.
The first allusion that he made to me
about the lady who WAS afterward to
play Beatrice 10 his Benedick was ut a
conccrt-or rather i'll tho cloak-room
after concert. That's what call
pretty girl" he whispered to me;
that dark-eyed girl over there in the
warm, tleecy brown shawl-noue of
your tllmsy white opera cloaks." The
girl was pretty, IN fresh, piquant sort
OF way; and even sworn bachelor
might have been excused for being
pleased ut receiving such frank smile
as she greeted Budell with. Again, not
many days after he remarked to me
Gprop0S dee bottles Met rather an in
teresting girl last night; quite agrees
with me on the Subject of Names" |
may be excused for neglecting this
hist; Budell, | think would have found
N mollusk interesting" if it had only
agreed with him that there was nothing
more Objectionable than to have ones
name murdered. He was nervously
anxious that his name should be pro.
nounccd with the accent on the second
syllable; and | afterward found that
he had been introduced tor the second
time) to this Interesting girl AS
"B0odle." Just as though | rhymed
to noodle ~ he indignantly ex-
pressed it. But the most important
hiut was given the night after Mrs.
Burton's ball, ut which we had all been
present. We were lounging in Buiells
rooms, and Snithers was giving us a
highly. colored and graphic illustration
of the frivolity that passes for CONVEX
satlon between young men and maid.
ems. That's ali nonsense" broke in
Budell; "its Your own fault AZ any
rate. Why, last night | had quite a
serious and interesting conversation
about womau's education with
maiden. | even quoted Scripture
to her.
Bet you 3 hat you misquoted,"
said the irreverent Smithers, who
thought everyone rs ignorant as him
self.
mo; I'm not joking; it's fact, and
] got an idea or two, let me tell YOU"
Had be only told us that he had VEN
tured iuto the conservatory in order to
carry out his conversation without in
torruption, | am convinced that | at
least should have Surmised that the &C
QUESTION of an idea or two was not the
only result. However, | was not long
III my state of ignorance. One day, a
month or so after, Budell hunted me
up TO contide TO me that the bachelors
club was all bosh; he WAS over head
and ears in love, and did | think he
ought to tell the other men? Then
there followed II shower of apologetics,
III which soft brown eyes" aad good.
ness knows what other attractions were
prominent. When / recovered breath
/ assured him that l thought it quite
incumbent upon him to inform the
club. was rigid and cold with him,
for felt indignant; it was almost an
insult to select me as his confident, as
though my celibste principles were
less fixed than Malhy's or Smithers'.
His announcement that evening was
received in solemn silence by the
Square Club; even Smithers had at first
nothing to say. At last Marty asked,
us it permitted to inquire the lady's
name, and when the msrrisgs is to
take placer" Budell looked uucom-
Portable. "Well, the fact is," he said,
81 thought ought to tell the club at
once; but l haven't that is, / don't
quite know how to set about asking
the lady" e=s-
BudeIl looked so comicaily distressed
a. 1, a Al : IL