The Arizona sentinel., 1891-03-07
ENGAGED BY rELEPHoME.

Ehe Professor Popped the QCsstion Just
 k ..- a Few Minutes Too Late.
 E 1t appears, says the New York Trib-
 nne, that there-is young lady living in
 Detroit who for some time has been the
 recipient of the attentions of two young
 men, one @ professor in the State Uni
 versity at Ann Arbor and the other a
 travelling salesman for a New York
 wholesale hardware house, whose route extends through Michigan and parts of Canada. 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 any rival house should put in an appear ance. He had hoped to call on the ob- feet of his affections in the evening, but business was good, and eight o'clock found him busy trying to induce Woodward avenue dealer to take six dozen axes, four dozen grindstones and 6 half carload of wooden pails. At this stage of the proceedings younger brother of the young lady dropped in to buy a new jack-knife, and mentioned casually that the Ann Arbor professor was up at the house. It instantly oc- cured to the enterprisirg hardware and cutlery salesman 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 decided that he could not possibly leave the store, as the dealer was just on the point of deciding to take the pails. But the thought of giving up the lady who had been for months constantly in his mind, waking and sleeping, was un- bearable. Light suddenly dawned on him. Handing the dealer circular ex- plaining 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 professor had been there for an hour talking pleasant ly of the grand educational work they were doing in the department of fossil elogy at Ann Arbor. When the bell rang, the lady's father being absent Che was physician), she excused herself and went into the adjoining room to an- swer it. The professor heard her step to the telephone and say ''Yes," make a short pause and say 'Yes" again. Then there was short pause and he heard her say: ''Why-why-really, this is sudden" Then there was still longer pause and he hearG her say "Yes," soft ly, then Goodbye" and she hung up the receiver and came back into the room. The professor moved closer to the fire and remarked that it was chil- ly evening, and he thought it was going to snow, and then resumed his talk about the great work at the university. Fifteen minutes later there was 8 ring at the front door-bell. The lady an swered it and district messenger boy handed her a plain gold ring, which she slipped on her finger and returned to the parlor. ''Miss -," said the pro- lessor, five minutes later, 'I want to ask you an important question this evening. Excuse me for putting it bluntly, but will you be my wife?" But we need go no 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 ArhOr