Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-28

agreeable or disagreeable. I soon discov-
cred that my lovely hostess was by no means
devoid of q certain spice of humor. In
truth, she was overfowing with spirits and
gayety; and left the house that night as
far gone in love as a man may be. On my
walk to chambers made up my mind that
Miss Bruce was girl who, under any cir
cumstances, could be depended upon to
"run straight" that her past was an unsul-
lied page; that she was as innocent as she
was pretty and as clever as she was limo
cent; all of which I take to be as great a
rarity among the girls OF to-day as black
pearl in a whitstable native, or q red Indian
in blue frock.
OF course, had determined long before L
ever heard of Mary Bruce that under no
circumstances would ! allow myself the
luxury of falling in love. But love unfor-
tunately is like measles; it comes and it
goes and there is no help for it. Accord
ingly fell madly In love with Mary Bruce.
We met at parties. I dined occasionally at
Inverness terrace; and at last, one day, at a
water party. ! came to griet; all my stern
resolutions vanished; and I proposed.
We had gone by the 2. W. L. to Henley,
a party of eight. There were Miss Bruce
and her aunt, a married sister OF Mr.. Bruce,
two daughters, the two Bolds and myself.
We had arranged to lunch at the Red Lion,
Henley. thence to row leisurely to Marlow,
dine at the Complete Angler and go home
bv the last train. 1t was baking July
day, tropically hot, but bright and glorious,
reminding me Of Honolulu or Levaka more
than of muggy England. After lunch we
padded gently down through Hambledon
Lock to Medenham, by which time the
Bolds had developed strange if not original
views as to shandy gaf. We strolled about
the abbey and made much tun of its bogus
character, had a game Of romps with the
pretty children Of mine host Of the Terry
Hotel and then rowed on to Harley Lock,
which was then in dlsgraceful state of
disrepair. The Bolds went off to pay fly
ing visit to some friends of theirs who lived
at the mill house close to the lock. While
the water was running of. Mary Bruce, who
was in charge of the hitcher aft, allowed
the boat to come too close to the sill. and
suddenly the stern was lodged on the top of
broken pile.
In ten seconds the boat would have been
overturned, and we should have been shot
into the lock. But Mary retained her pres
ence of mind. With q vigorous shove of
the hitcher she pushed the stern OF the boat
off the pile; and by the greatest good luck
we avoided what must have been most
serious catastrophe. Even as it was we got
athwars the lock and nearly came to grief.
This episode has been thus particularly re-
ferred to because it was the one that settled
me. 1 made up my mind, as we rowed
down to Bisham after exploring the back
water at Harleyford and the tumbliug bay
at New Lock, that I would that day ask
Mary to be my wife. That she liked me 1
felt sure; but whether her liking had de-
veloped into love, whether she would enter
tain INV proposal-or whether my proposal
would entertain her-I knew not. But
was fully resolved to put the matter to the
proof; would risk it If i could get the op-
portunity to do so; and opportunities can
be manufactured.
We landed at Bisham to look at the
church and inspect the fine old monuments
Of the Hoby family and others for which
Bisham is celebrated. Then / proposed
that the Bolds should scullMrs NJ Macfarlane,
who was tired, down to MARROW, while
took the girls through tie Quarry woods to the
point and back over the meadows to Mar
low. L'homme propose. He does indeedl
I, for example, proposed to ask Miss Bruce
10 be my wi e; and that was the only propo-
sition that came off, Whether Mary had
given the Macfarlane girls a hint or
whether those young ladies Chow hated
themD acted of their own volitlon, / do not
know; but they were limpets. Or rather
taking into consideration their larky and
faccid structure, they were barnacles. They
stuck to us with the pertinacity of un-
gorged and unsated leeches, and gave rs no
chance Of moments uninterrupted talk
until at length they landed NJ ct the Com
plete Angler. Fortunately the dinner was