The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1890-02-06
SHE SAID YES BY TELEPHONE.
The Drummer Was Busy but He Got Ahead
of the Professor.

There is a lady living in Detroit
who for some time has been the re-
cipient of the attentions of two young
men, one professor in the State
university at Ann Arbor and the other
travelling salesman for New York
wholesale hardware house, whose
route extends through Michigan and
parts of Canada, says the New York
Tribune. One day last week the New
Yorker arrived in Detroit late in the
afternoon and of course Immediately
started making the rounds of the
retail hardware dealers with the
laudable purpose of selling each a
good stock for the winter before the
representative of the rival house
should put in an appearance. He
had hoped to call on the object of his
affections in the evening, but bust
ness was good and s o'clock found
him busy trying to induce a Wood
ward avenue dealer to take six dozen
axes, four dozen grindstones and a
half carload of wooden pals.
At this stage of the proceedings a
younger brother of the young lady
dropped in to buy new jack-knife,
and mentioned casually that the Ann
Arbor professor was up at the house.
1t instantly occurred to the enter
prising hardware and cutlery sales
man that the professor had come for
no other purpose than to lay his
heart at the feet of the young lady he
himself adored. For moment there
was a struggle in his breast, but he
speedily got control of himself and de-
cided that he could not possibly leave
the store, as the dealer was just on
the point of deciding to take the pals.
But the idea of giving up the lady
who had been for months constantly
in his mind, waking or sleeping, was
unbearable. Light suddenly dawned
on him. Handing the dealer cir
cular explaing the merits of his new
double-bladed chopping-knives, he
requested the use of the merchants
telephone for five minutes, stepped
to it and rang up the central Office.
A moment later the telephone bell
at the residence of the young lady
rang sharp and decisive. The profes-
sor had been there for an hour talking
pleasantly of the grand educational
work they were doing in the depart
ment of fossilology at Ann Arbor.
When the bell rang, the lady's father
being absent Che was physician), she
excused herself and went into the adj
joining room to answer it. The pro-
lessor heard her step to the telephone
and say eyes," make a short pause
and say eyes" again. Then there
was a pause and he heard her say,
ENTHUSIASTICALLY, this is sudden"
Then there was still longer pause
and he heard her say eyes" softly and
then "Good-by," and she hung up the
receiver and came back into the room.
The professor moved closer to the fire
and remarked that it was chilly
evening, and he thought il was going
to snow, and then resumed his talk
about the great work at the univer-
sity. Fifteen minutes later there was
ring at the front door bell.
The lady answered it and district
messenger boy handed hera plain gold
ring, which she slipped on her finger
and returned to the parlor. "Miss
-" said the professor five minutes
later, ~ want to ask you an important
question this evening. Excuse me
for putting it bluntly, but will you be
my wife?" But we need not go
further with this. Two minutes later
the professor went down the front
steps, shook his fist at the telephone
wire and took the 8 :45 train for Ann
Arbor.