Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-05-04
HOW JOHN PROPOSED
The Blunders of BaShful Man.
The Sharing of Mutual
Woes.

"Dear me, | know be is just ready
to say it, and l can't see why be
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 to me very strange"
she added after brief pause, "that
great big man should be so timid
about saying he loves q girl. Dear
me, it's enough to aggravate girl
into taking advantage Of"
And Miss Mary blushed rosily and
finished the sentenced with hysterl-
cal 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 occas-
ion For long time each had look
ed upon the other with expressive
eyes, but though the gossips of that
part of Harlem locked upon the end
ing of their courtship as a settled
matter, John had not asked the all.
important question. Mary's woman
ly intuition prompted the thought
that he had been trying to voice the
love he SO often displayed, but his
natural bashfulness seemed an insur-
mountable barrier.
So Miss Mary sat that February
afternoon in her chair, briskly rocking
to and fro. The afternoon was near.
ly gone, and the girl was impatiently
waiting for eight O'Clock, when the
bashfuI John would arrive to take her
to the class in vocal music at the
church. Her heart beat fast as the
moments sped. Her rosy cheeks
flushed more deeply as her mind
dwelt upon the possible form of the
question that che felt must soon be
asked. She knew there would be
nothing romantic about Johns ask.
ing her, for she was sure he would do
so in blnndering way. The thing
that troubled her most was that after
he really did muster up sufficient cour-
age her long knowledge of his pur-
pose would prevent her showing a
proper amount of surprise and embar-
rassment. She knew che would
blush, but she hoped 1T would be so
deep blush that John could not fail
| to see it,
She started suddenly, and her face
flushed with feeling that there was
tinge of immodesty and hypocrisy
in ber train Of thoughts. She felt
guilty of being immodest in thinking
of proposing herself and of
hypocrisy when hoping she would
blush as though she had not expected
the question. Her thoughts annoyed
her. and failing to drive them away
as she sat sewing, she laid down her
work and busted herself in cleaning
up her room.
When the hands of the clock reach
ed eight 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 suffused with
bushes there was an unmistakable
air of manliness about him. When
his brown eyes looked into Mary's
she felt so strong aud confident that
her half-uttered thoughts during the
afternoon of taking advantage of the
season to render q little assistance
came to her, and moment later she
was oppressed with the thought that
if he had asked her then she really
would not have blushed. Then she
tried to drive away the thought with
o mighty effort as her old feeling ot
immodesty and hypocrisy came to her,
and the crimson flush covered her
face as she saw that John was trying
to say something.
A few minutes later the two were
carefully walking along the icy side.
walk in the direction of the church
They discussed the weather and
everything in connection with the
singing school until they reached the
church, and then they both Joined
heartily in the exercises. Mary sang
exceedingly well. John was equally
uc"essful until they sang the
strain
ave share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear"
Then it suddenly dawned upor
him how easy it would be to say
Mary, let us share our mutua
woes;" and he couldn't dismiss it from
his mind all the evening. Every
now and tn en-, to his great embarass
ment, be got out of tune. To make
! matters worse, the Professor noticed
it each time, and, in kindly tone
offered suggestion which increased