The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-08-31
BUDELL'S PROPOSAL.

This time two years ago our Square
Club was furnishing; now / am sole
member. Budell. Marby, Smlthers and
myself had formed ourselves into a
private bachelors club, for the purpose
of whist and other intellectual occupa-
tions, and very good time we con-
trived to have together We hadn t
many rules and bylaws for our club.
We were sworn bachelors and each of
us had to allege a reason why he did
not intend to We'd but we had so far
recognized the possibility of a change
in 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 he hadn't time to marry
1 was too poor, and Marty, who was re-
garded Us our romantic member, gave
us indefinitely to understand that
"blighted affections" stood between
him and the hymeneal altar Budell
at first laughed at the idea of assigning
a reason, and he wished to allege that
he hadn't met Mrs. Budell yet. That
was unanimously rejected by the rest
OF the club; whereupon he insisted upon
our accepting as an alternative that he
was afraid of ladies' We were willing
80 stretch a point in favor of Budell
who was one of the jolliest possible
fellows at a bachelor supper, and so we
received this second reason. For the
rest we nobly resolved not to fly, but
to Withstand temptation; our maxim
was that every lady is charming so long
AS one Is not married TO her, and we
were all ready to go into society, and
even sustain the reputation of being
dancing men," We used TO relate to
each other over our celibate pipes won
derful stories of narrow escapes from
gulleful women every season; but if
these were all as dependent upon the
narrator's fancy for their important de-
tails as my contributions to the
conversation, the escapes were
somewhat more than hair's-breadth.
Budell was especially a favorite
in society; he was one of those rare
phenomena, young barristers with some
practice, and he had beside very COM
Portable allowance from his father. Like
the rest of the club, / had taken as
joke his assertion that he was afraid of
ladies'; but gradually came to see that
there was some truth in it. SO long as
Budell was in large company-in a
ballroom or any place like that-he
was quite at his ease and as bold as a
lion; but if by any chance he happened
to fall temporary captive to a solitary
damsePs bow and spear he was almost
overwhelmed with nervousness, and his
usual powers of conversation complete
~ deserted him. L once met him ut the
Royal Academy, escorting a very pretty
young lady, and looking as uneasy as if
hc had worse conscience than King
Her0d; and L have seen him tremble at
mere passing mention of the conserv-
atory by his partner at dance. How
ever, in the Square Club he was our
most enthusiastic member, and horror
and indignation filled our souls when
we realized the direful fact that Budell
was in love and doing his best to get
married Had we been women we
might probably have seen the symptoms
of the advancing malady; but we were
only obtuse and short-sighted men.
Now as ] look back over these months
i recall incidents that might have been
warnings. The gradual decrease OF
Budells hilarity at the club and the
gradual increase of his excursions into
society could hardly, indeed, have been
portents, for Budell always did go into
society more than the rest of us. The
first allusion that he made to me about
the lady who was afterward to play
Beatrice to his Benedict was at con.
cert-or rather in cloak-room after Q
concert. "That's what / call a pretty
girl" he whispered to me, chat dark
eyed girl over there in the warm, fleecy
brown shawl-none of your fiimsy white
opera cloaks." The girl was pretty il
n fresh piquant sort of way; and even {
sworn bachelor might have been ex
cused for being pleased at receiving
such q frank smile as she greeted
Budell with. Again, not many day
after he remarked to me apropos de-
bottles: Met rather an interesting CIR
last night; quite agrees with me on thu
subject of Names" / may be excused
for neglocting this hint; Budell thinl
would have found mollusc interest
ing" If il had only agreed with him tina
there was nothing more objectionabl
than TO have ones name murdered. III
was nervously anxious that his nam
should be pronounced with the accen
ON the second syllable; and l afterwar