Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-06-14
HOW 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.
''It does seem to me very strange,
she added after brief pause, that
a great big man should be so timid
about saying he loved a girl. Dear
me, it's enough to aggravate a girl in
to taking advantage Of"
And Miss Mary blushed rosily and
finished the sentence with a hysteric
al 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 occa-
sion. 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 a 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 sentiment
so often displayed, but his natural
bashfulness seemed an insurmount-
able barrier.
So Miss Mary sat that February af
ternoon in her chair, briskly ly rocking
to and fro The afternoon was nearly
gone and the girl was impatiently
waiting for o'clock, when the bash
the class in vocal music at the church.
Her heart beat faster as the moments
sped. Her rosy cheeks flushed more
deeply as her mind dwelt upon the
possible form of the question that
she felt must soon be asked. She
knew there would be nothing romantic
about Johns asking her, for she was
sure he would do so in a blundering
way. The thing that troubled her
most was that after he really did mus
ter up sufficient courage, her long
knowledge of his purpose would pre-
vent her showing proper amount of
surprise and embarrassment. She
knew she would blush, but she hoped
it would be so deep blush that John
could not fail to see it,
She started suddenly, her face
flushed with feeling that there was
a tinge of immodesty and hypocrisy
in her trains of thoughts. She felt
guilty of being immodest in thinking
of proposing herself and of hypocrisy
in hoping she would blush as though
she had not expected the question.
Her thoughts ANNOYED her, and fail
ing to drive them away as she sat
sewing, she laid down her work and
busted herself cleaning up the room.
When both hands of the clock
reached 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 Marys
she felt so strong and confident that
her half uttered thoughts during the
afternoon of taking advantage Of the
season to render a 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
a mighty effort as her old feeling OF
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 ice side
walk in the direction of the church.
They discussed the weather and ev-
erything in connection with the sing
ing school until they reached the
church, and then they both joined
heartily in the exercises. Mary sang
exceedingly well. John was equally
successful until they sang the strain:
We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear.
Then it suddenly dawned upon him
how easy it would be TO say, Mary,
let us share our mutual woes" and
he couldn't dismiss it from his mind
all theevening. 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 kindly tone offered sugges-