The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1883-06-28
THE WAY HE PROPOSED.

courageous fellows in the world, accord.
ing to tue men who knew him; but
when tho ladies of his acquaintance
heard this opinion, they laughed it t.
scorn, for they considered him the most
timld creature they had ever seen. II,
was very fond of ladies' society, thc>
said, or he would not spend all his even.
ings at parties or making calls; yet moi
one lady, old or young, single or mar
ried, had ever known him to express his
regard III any way that was not extreme
ly decorous and formal. Flirt? They
would rs soon think of tombstone or n
telegraph polo attempting to flirt. Most
of the Majors male acquaintances car
ried scars on their hearts, as results
either of attacks more honorable than
judiC 'ous, or of sudden surprises by fair
skirmishets s; but no one could imagine
tho Major to have suffered any such mis-
hap, for he not only made no reconnois-
sance, but he always retired prccipitatc>
within himself at the first flash of pp;r
Of eyes leveled directly at him.
The truth was that the brave Major
was not only rs modest as a model
maiden, but he was painfully bashful
beside. The one desire of his life was (.
marry, which he was financially able It,
do, but the important preliminary ste!
Of proposing was ono he had never dared
10 take. Until he reached adult wears
he had met scarcely any women but his
two orphaned sisters to whom he had
trled to be father, and upon whose
rare purity and sweetness he had based
his ideas of womanhood. Both mari. {,
and went far from their old home, so
they could not help him to gain wife
Il col, Ia, Nc |.
all women were too good for him. TO
CLINTON nearly every woman appeared
saint. He worshipcd one after another,
although only one Mt II time, and his
tastes were SO correct that he was obEr, Il
TO change his divinity about once in
III three months, to avoid worShipiur
another mans wife. Whenever an old
scar healed and delicious throbbine of
the heart told of a new dart that hal
found it's way to his heart, he vowed
solemnly to propose at once, and vary
the dreadful monotony Of having another
man step in before him. And each time
he delayed, just for n day, or a week, or
because he feared too much, or hopcd
too wildly, and every time ne waited Il
little too long-evcry time but one.
For when the Major met Alice Waller
son he felt that, to lose her, too, would
be mtr1 than his life could endure.
she vas pretty, as all women seemed to
the MAJOR. She was good and she was
sweet, the Major was sure, else why were
all other women unusually fond of her :?
Best OF all, she seemed the most modest
and Dashful maiden in his whole circle
OF acquaintance, and through these quail
ities would be able to offer him sympathy
with feelings that all other pcop)e
regarded with provoking smiles.
But how shoule he propose? Being
woman, her bashful nature must be far
moro sensitive than his own, so, even If
he were to nerve himself to the ordeal,
how could he be enough of brute to
lnfiict greater trepidation upon her, if
he loved her? Evcl, were she favorably
| disposed toward him, he was sure that
! listening to n proposal would put her
heart III terrible tumult; how much
| more dreadful would it be. then, for her
| to listen to him should she not he favor
| ably disposed. He know that she always
| looked at him pleasantly; he felt that she
had even been grateful to him one even
ing, when both, at n party and both
through timidity, retired to tho same
half hidden corner Of a drawing room,
o"oh hiocchI OF Gne approicn OF the
other, and each anxious, on meeting, to
show that the affair was a mere accident.
This WIS the only BASH of Clinton s
hope, and yet-he had been disappoint-
ed so many times that he could not bear
to think of failure now.
He made several calls, with the inten.
ton OF proposing, but every time his
courage failed him, besides Mrs. Waller.
son or Alicc's sister Nell, were always in
the parlor; Of course he could not say
before two what he dreaded to say even
with single hearer. Worse still, Miss
Nell, who was brilliant brunette of the
irrepressible species, could not avoid
teasing him slyly at every possible op
portunity, and he always lost his tongue
under her onslaughts.
Then he tried to propose in writing
and for a week of evenings he wrote
steadily with no moro satisfactory resul
than note to Mrs. Wallerson, in whicl
ue intended to inclose his proposal.
,Ohance finally came in pity to his aid
MISS Nell, as one of trio of girls whc
h@a devised o surprise party for a recent