The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-07-04
HOW JOHN PROPOSED.

all pouts and piled her needle more rapid
r ly than ever. 1T does seem to me very
strange" she added after brief pause,
"that a great big man should be so timid
about saying he loved girl. Dear me,
it's enough to aggravate girl into TAX
ing advantage off,
And Miss Mary blushed rosily and fin
ished the sentence with a hysteTical
laugh.
Mary Branwood was just at this mo-
ment thinking of John Walker, who for
the past two years had been her escort
upon every possible occasion. For a
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 a
settled matter, John had not asked the
all important question. Mary's woman
ly intuition prompted the thought that
he had been tying to voice the love he
80 often displayed, but his natural bash
fulness seemed an insurmountable bar
rier.
So Miss Mary sat that February after
noon in her chair, briskly rocking to and
fro. The afternoon was nearly gone and
the girl was impatIently waiting for
eight o'clock, when the bashful John
would arrive to take her to her class in
in vocal music at the church. Her heart
beat faster as the moment sped. Her
rosy checks flushed more deeply as her
mind dwelt up on the possible form of
the question that she felt must soon be
asked. She knew that there would be
nothing romantic about Johns asking
her, for she was sure he would do so in
laundering way. The thing that
troubled her most was that after he did
muster up sufficient courage, her long
knowledge of his purpose ouldprevent
her showing proper amount of surprise
and embarrassment. She knew she
would blush, but she hoped it would be
so deep blush that John would not fail
to see it.
She started suddenly, and her face
flushed with feeling that there was
tinge of immodesty and hypocrisy in her
tram of thoughts. She felt guilty of be-
ing immodest in thinking of proposing
herself and of hypocrisy in hoping she
would blush as though she had not ex-
pected the question. Her thoughts an
noyed her, and falling to drive them
away as she sat sewing, she laid down
her work and IN led herself cleaning up
the room.
When both hands of tho clock reached
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 unmistakabIe air of manliness
about him. When his brown eyes look
ed into Mary she felt so strong and con-
fident that her half-uttered thoughts
during the afternoon of taking advan-
tage of the season to render little as
sistance came 10 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 mighty
effort as her old feeling of immodesty
and hypocrisy came to her, and the
crimson flush covered her face as sine
saw that John was trying to say some
thing.
A few minutes later the two were care
fully walking along the icy sidewalks in
the direction of the church. They dis
cussed the weather and everything in
connection with the singing school until
they reached the church, and then they
both joined hearty in the exercises
Mary sang exceedingly well, John was
equally successful until they sang the
strain -
We share our mutual woes,
| Our mutal burdens bear.
Then 1t suddenly dawned upon him
how easy it would be 10 say, MARY, let
US share our mutual woes" and he
couldn't dismiss it from his mind all the
evening, Every now and then, to his
great embarrassment, he got out of tune.
To make matters worse, the professor
noticed it each time, and in a kindly
tone offered a suggestion, which increas-
ed Johns confusion. There was no one
in the cass gladder than John when
$3.50 came and he and Mary stepped out
into the moonlight to go home. They
picked their way along the sidewalk,
slowly, cautiously, and in silence, John
did not speak for two reasons. He was op
pressed with the thought that he had
been particularly stupid during the
whole evening, and he was repeating
the sentence, MARY, let us share our
mutuals woes" so that when they stood
beneath the light in the little parlor he
could put his arms around her and say
it without laundering. Mary was silent
with expectation.
How brief sentence would have made
them supremely happy
Johns Observation-Disclosures served to dis
tract his attention from the icy walk
more than he should have allowed, and
no less than half dozen times Mary's
feet slipped, but each time she found
herself borne up by her sturdy lover.
Each slip was accompanied with little
shrek, and when she was again safe her
soft laugh..was like music to him.
A group of boys pulling a sled turned |
the corner ahead and dashed past thenl
Mary turned her head to glance after |
them. Her foot slipped, little shrek, |
and she was down. But she wasn't alone. |
In falling she had managed to knock |
Johns feet out from under him, and he |
had falling too. Each scrambled to rise
quickly, and their heads came together
with sound bump,
John was in the throes of modification
upon his awkwardness, when Mary said |
naively, as he helped her to her feet -
"We seem to be sharing our mutual
woes"
He was amazed. The very sentence
he had been saving for under the gas
light. Before he could take advantage
of present opportunity. however, Mary
seemed to realize that she had been i'm
modest, and she talked necessarily as
they walked on as if determined that he
should reap no advantage from her re-
mark. John made several efforts to re-
call the opportunity, but was bafiled
every time. Then he determined to
wait until they stood beneath the gas
light, but when they reached the parlor
the light seemed to burn more brightly
than before, and his courage departed.
Once he made an effort, but the first
word that came from his lip was "woes"
and the consciousness that he was blund-
erIng caused him to blush and pause be-
fore trying again. But sweet What
were you gong to say? 2" completed his
embarrassment, and he answered, Moth
ing" and in despair prepared to go,
A moment later, as they stood at the
p rlor door exchanging the last words,
and as Johns hand was on the knob,
Mary turned her blue eyes to him and
said with laugh
you'll be sure to get home without
falling. for you will have no one to drag
you down"
Johns face crimsoned. He was about
TO protest that she had not dragged him ,
down when he thought OF his last OPP
pOrlunlty after they had fallen. He had
a feeling that the sentence he had been
trying to say all the evening would be
slngularly inopportune now, but he was
determined not to lose another chance.
Despite that feeling and in sheer despera-
tion he gasped:
MARY. let US woes our mutual shares
alwaysY'
Mary looked puzzled. For a moment
she didn't grasp the purpnrt Of the mis-
quoted sentence. When it dawned upon