Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-09-29
H0W JOHN PROPOSED.

" Dear me, know he is just ready to say
it, and ! can't see why he doesn't say it."
And pretty Mary Branwood puckered up
her lips into the sweetest of all pouts and
piled her needle more rapidly than ever.
at does seem strange to ne, very strange
she added, after brief pause, shat great
big man should be so timid about saying
he loved girl. Dear me, it's enough to
aggravate girl into taking advantage of
=" And Miss Mary blushed rosily and
finished the sentence with a hysterical
laugh.
Mary Branwood was just at this moment
thinking of John Walker, who for the past
two years had been her escort upon every
possible occasion. For long time each
had looked upon the other with expressive
eyes, and though the gossips of that part of
Harlem looked upon the ending of their
courtship as settled matter, John had not
asked the all-important question. Mary's
womanly intuition prompted the thought
that he had been trying to voice the love
ne so often displayed, but his natural BASH
fulness seemed an insurmountable barrier.
So Miss Mary sat that February after
noon in her chair briskiy rocking to and
fro, and was impatiently waiting for s
o'clock when the bashful John would ar
rive to take her to the vocal music class at
the church. Her heart beat fast as the mo-
ments sped. Her rosy cheeks flushed more
deeply as her mind dwelt upon the possible
form of the question she felt must soon be
asked. She knew there would be nothing
romantic about Johns asking, for she was
sure he would do so in laundering way
What troubled her most was that after he
really did muster up sufficient courage her
long knowledge of his purpose would pre-
vent her showing proper amount of sur
prise and embarrassment. She knew she
would blush, but she hoped it would be so
deep that John could not fail to see it.
She started suddenly. and her face
flushed with feeling than there was
tinge of immodesty and hypocrisy in her
train Of thoughts. She felt guilty of being
immodest in thinking of proposing herself,
and of hypocrisy in hoping she wYuld
blush as though she had not expected the
question. Her thoughts annoyed her, and
failing to drive them away, she laid down
her work and busted herself clearing up
the room.
When both hands of the clock reached
s the light ring of the door-bell told her of
Johns arrival. As he entered it could be
seen that though his youthful face was
sufiused with bushes, there was an unmis-
taxable air of manliness about him. When
his brown eyes looked into Mary's she felt
so strong and confident that her half uttered
thoughts during the afternoon of taking
advantage of the season, come to her, and
a moment later she was oppressed with the
thought that if he had asked her then she
really wonld not have blushed Then she
tried to drive away the thought with
mighty effort, as her old feeling of i'm
modesty d hypocrisy came to her. and
the crimson blush covered her face as she
saw that John was trying to say some
thing.
A few minutes later the two were care
fully walking along the icy sidewalk in the
direction of the church. They discussed the
weather, and everything in connection with
the singing school until they reached the
church, and both joined heartily in the
exercises. Mary sang exceedingly well.
John was equally successful till taey sang
the strain: