The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1883-07-20
SELECT STORY.
HOW HE PROPOSED.

cording to the men who knew him ;
but when the ladies of his acquain
tance heard his opinions they laughed
him TO scorn, for they considered him
the most timid creature they had ever
seen. He was very fond of ladies'
society, they said, or he would not
spend all his evenings at parties or
making calls; yet no one lady, young
or old, single or married, had ever
known him to express bis regard in
any way that was not extremely deco.
rous and formal Flirt? They would
as soon think of tombstone or tel
egraph pole attempting to tlirt Most
of the Majors male acquaintance
carried scars on their hearts, as results
either of attacks more honorable than
judicious, or of sudden surprises by
fair skirmishcrs; but no one could
imagine the Major to have suffered
any such mishap, for he not only made
no reconnaissance, but he always re
tired preciptately within himself at
the first flash of q pair of eyes leyelcd
directly at him
| Il AHC u ulil w 10 ltl'lG Lllt DIdNC Az INl
was not only as modest as a model
maiden, but he was painfully bashfdl
besides. The one desire Of his life
was to marry, which he was financially
able to do, but the important prelimi-
nary step of proposing was one he had
never dared to take. Until he reached
adult years he had met scarcely any
women but bis two orphaned sisters,
to whom he had tried to be as a father
and upon whose rare purity and sweet
ness he had based his ideas of woman
hood. Both married and went far
from their old home, so they could not
help him to gain wife by disabusiua
him of his impression that all women
were too good for him. 70 Clinton
nearly every woman appeared saint
lie worshipped one after another, al
though only one at time, and his
tastes were so correct that he wa,
obliged to change his divinity about
once in three months to avoid wor
shipping another mans wife. When
ever an old scar healed and deliciou,
throbbing of the heart told of new
dart that had found its way int6 hi,
heart he vowed solemnly to propose a,
once and vary the dreadful monotony
of having another man step in before
him, And each time he delayed jus,
for day or week, or because h,
feared too much or hoped too wildly
and every time he waited little toe
long-every time but one.
For when the Major met Alice Wal
lerson he felt that to lose her, 100
would be more than his life could en-
dure. She was pretty, as all womcr
seemed to the Major. She was gooC
and she was sweet, the Major was sure
else why were all other women unusu
ally fond of her? Best of all, sh,
seemed the most modest and bashfu
maiden in his whole circle of acqlain
tances, and through these qualities
would be able to offer him sympath,
with feelings that all other people re
garded with provoking smiles.
But how should he propose? Bcin!
a woman, her bashful nature must b.
far more sensitive than his own, s.
even if he were to nerve himself T.
the ideal, how could he be enough of
brute to inhict greater trepidatiol
upon her, if he loved her? Even lyer
she favorably disposed toward him, h
was sure that listening to propose
would put her heart in terrible tu
multi how much more dreadful woul
it be, then, for her to listen to hin
should she not be favora'ly disposed
He knew that she always looked a
him pleasantly; he felt that she ha
even been grateful TO him one evening
when both at q party, and hot
through timidity iretir,d to the sum
half-hidden corner of the drawing
room, each innocent of the approac
of the other, and each over anxious o
meeting TO show that the affair was
mere accident. This was the onl
basis of Clinton's hope, and yeti
had been disappointed so many time
he could not bear to think of failul
now.
- He made several calls with the il
q tention of proposing, but every tin
D bis courage failed him; besides, Mr.
Wallerson or Alice's sister Nell wei
always in the parlor, OF course !
could not say before two what !
dreaded to say even with sing
hearer Worse still, Miss Nell, wi
was a brilliant brunette of the irr
prcssible species, could not avoid tea
ing him slyly at every possible oppo
: tnnity, and he always lost his tougu
>" under her onslaughts.
Then he tried to propose in writir
q, and for a week of evenings he wrote
ed formal proposal steadily with no mo
satisfactory results than a note to Nj
Wallerson, in which he intended to c
close his proposal
Chance finally came in play to |
aid Miss Nell, as one of trio
girls who had devised a surprise par
for recently married friend wrote
I'd the Maio about the project and be
ged that he would call aud give l
le- some assistance among their mutt
gentlemen friends, AS the Major re
her note brilliant thought occurr
W Hlln' w Illc tdlhiliS DunlutnS Nh
n Nell certainly would not endeavor
\ tease him; his bashfulness ne'
- troubling him while talking W
ladies on any subject requiring 90
mon sense, opinion and executive ab
ty; he should therefore be able to {
at ease with Miss Nell, and while
" that unusual condition he would m;
q a confdant of her and ask her adv
I and assistance, lie would try to t
to her as if she were man; it mi,
{ be rash experiment, but he felt e4
d to almost any degree of raShn
q when he thought Of how many til
NJ before he had resolved and failed
Z So the Major went to the Waller
Il home on the evening appointed
81 mischievous Miss Nell, with stor
ISL heart than he had felt, outside of b
I'll ness hours, since the war ended,
" arranged with the young lady to br
81 all his male friends into the surp
= party, and she, rather confused by
new view of the Majors charac