Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1891-07-02
WHoDID THE WoOING7
BY FRED WARMER SMILEY.

II somehow leaked out in the Big
Creek section that Martha Ann Todd
proposed to Jim Simkins.
How the story got ahoat no one. ex-
actly knew, for Martha certainly never
told it herself, and as for James, he was
never known in the whole course OF his
existence TO have told anything. Any
how, the report got ahoat. and soon
everyone far aud near was talking about
it, aud at every candy party and ''sugar-
in off, someone was bound to bring up
the subject, and then the question was
added, "Did Martha Ann really pro-
posel"
The facts in the case were that Martha
Ann and James were engaged. Both
Mrs. Todd and Mrs. Simpkins had
given this news to the world at Aunt
Jane Wormley's meeting of the Big
Creek Ladies' Aid 1t was further gen.
orally agreed that James never had
spupk enough to speak for himself, so it
really became an oppressive mystery to
the good people Of the section.
But all these wonderings and supposi-
tons would have been cleared up had
they been able to look into the generous
heart of Martha Ann AS she sat by the
western window of the kitchen doing
crochet work, and looking ever and anon
over across the snow fields to the Sim
kins farmhouse, behind which sturdy
figure could be seen Justify swinging an
OK.
And this was James.
Martha Ann was as comedy girl as
any in the district, and. as Uncle Billy
Mason, the master OF the postoffice and
village emporium, averred, "by far the
likeliest"
Martha Ann was good to look at. She
was not handsome. She was not pretty.
Her eyes were neither bright black nor
soft blue. Her haife was neft6eff ast..sas
denSise. ,,etiie; neverthotss. Martha
Ann was a mighty pleasant to girl to see.
She seemed to have way OF growing on
one, for her voice was always musical,
and her smile ever cheerful and encour-
aging.
She was now probably twenty-seven
years Of age, perhaps younger-it doesn't
matter. She was woman. healthy, en-
ergetic, farmers daughter who had
worked all her life and was proud of it,
who had taken first prize at the county
fair for bread, and had won medal at
the same institution for patchwork
quilt. She had made all her own clothes
since the day she was sixteen, and, be-
sides that, she could play an organ all
around the other girls.
That was big day in the life of Mar
tina Ann when her father came home
with six-stop organ on the wood
sleigh. Such beauty as it was, too,
with elegant bracket trimmings and a
cute little rack on top for books and
music. 1t wasn't five minutes after that
organ struck the parlor before Corona
ton" and ''The Battle of Waterloo"
were rolling through the house with so
sublime and altogether magnificent
tone that Mother Todd dropped right
down on the haircloth sofa, all in her
old clothes, too, and cried, refusing to
be comforted until Martha Ann played
few bars of "Nearer. My God, TO Thee"
But self-confident as Martha Ann was.
she had for five years been floating on q
sea of conjecture as to what Jim Slmp-
kins really meant by coming over to the
house and talking politics with her
father and seeing" her home from
church every Sunday night. She some
how could not locate James in her list of
certainties.
Fnr inno time Martha Ann seriously
and 1t was not till she felt IN ner uraru
that she was all in all TO him that she
began TO scheme how to make it easy
for James to propose.
For months she laborcd over this prob
lem. Every once and awhile Of Sunday
evening, as they strolled home together
by the creek, she would throw out
'feeler. but he never understood. Dur
ing all this time she made herself rs at
tractive as she knew how and played her
sweetest pieces on the organ; with no
further result than getting him used TO
sitting on a haircloth chair without de-
string to tip 1t back against the wall, as
was his custom with the kitchen furniture.
Although all her schemes came to
naught, Martha Ann never lost heart. She
was sure of one thing and that was that
James was dying to ask her. but couldn't.
So she looked at it as perfectly proper
that she should help him out.
the nearest he had ever come to say
ing something vital was on day in the
preceding Fall when he had come over
to help her pick some grated apples.
These apples were so large and precious
that the greatest care had to be taken in
gathering them On this occasion James
was up amid the branches of the tree on
q step ladder, and Martha Ann stood on
the ground catching each apple, one by
one, inner apron.
Whether looking up so continuously
heightened her coloring or not, James
thought she had never looked so beau
tiful and altogether womanly before, and !
he registered an oath in his hear. for
he never swOre, that $50 help him ncle |
John Rogers, he would ask her the min
ute he got down" He even got quite
brilliant up there on the ladder, aud |
actually joked while Martha Ann
beamed one continuous smile.
Finally he gathered all the apples in
his reach, and so had TO come down. to
get new position. But with each !
downward step, down went his courage,
and 1t was only by q superhuman effort
that he managed to say:
you're looking purticr'n oil git out,
Martha Ann"
Martha Ann blushed crimson at so
direct compliment, for she felt that the
hour had come.
You're always a-fattcrin' me, James"
the said.
Couldn't say too much for-you-
know-you-know-. Guess I'd better |
move the ladder ter the south side the
tree, wouldn't your
Martha Ann could have cried then and
there. Jane said no more, and the APP |
pie gathering went on in silence.
But now, at the time ! am writing