The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-02-15
WHO DID THE WoolNG ?

WHO DID THE WOOING?
It somehow leaked out in the Big
Creek section that Martha Ann Todd
proposed to Jim Sinpkins.
How the story got afoat no one exact
ly knew, for Martha certainly never told
it herself and as for James, he was never
known in the whole course Of his exist
enee to have told anything. Anyhow,
the report got afiost, and soon every one
far and near was talking about it, and at
every candy pull and ''sugarin' of" some
one was bound to bring up the subject,
and then the question was asked: "Did
Martha Ann really propose?"
=. The facts in the case were that Martha
Ann AMI 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 generally
agreed that James never had spunk
eaough to speak for himself, so it really
became an oppressive mystery to the
good people Of the section.
But all these wonde-ings and supposi-
tions would have been cleared up had
they been able to lock into the generous
heart Of Martha Ann as she sat by the
western window of the kitching Going
crochet work, and looking ever and anon
over across the snow fields to the Simp-
kins farm house, behind which a sturdy
figure could be seen Justify swinging an
ak.
And this was James.
Martha Ann was comely a girl as
any in the district, and as Uncle Billy
Mason, the master of the postofiice 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 hair had no poetic tend
encies. Her figure was neither statues
que nor petite; nevertheless. Marth
Ann was pleasant girl to see. She SEEM
ed to have way of growing on one, for
her voice vas always musical, and her
smile ever cheerful and encouraging.
She was now probably twenty-seven
years ofage-perhaps younger-it doesn't
matter She was a woman, healthy, en-
ergetic, a farmers daughter who had
worked all her life and was proud of it
who had twice taken first prize at the
county fair for bread, and had won
medal at the same institution for patch
work quilt. She had made all her own
clothes since the day she was sixteen,
and besides that she could play an organ
all around the other girls.
That was a 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 cnte little rack
on top for books and music. 1t wasn't
five minutes after that organ struck the
parlor before Coronation" and "The
Battle Of Waterloo" were rolling through
the house with so sublimea aud altogether
magnificent tone that Mother Todd
dropped right down on the haircloth
sofa, all in her old clothes, too, and cried,
refusing 10 be eomforted until Martha
Ann played few bars of ''Nearer, Ny
God, to Thee"
But self-confdent as Martha Ann was,
she had for FIVE years now been floating
on sea of conjecture as to what Jim
Simpson 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.
For long time Martha Ann seriously
doubted whether he loved her or not,
and it was not till she felt in her heart
that she was all in all to him that she be-
gan to scheme how TO make it easy for
James to propose.
For months sle labored over this prob
lem. Every once and while Of Sun
day evenin' as they strolled home togeth-
er by the creek, she would throw out
"fseler," but he never understood. Dur
ing all this time she made herself as at
tractiye as she knew how, and played her
sweet pieces on the organ. with no furth-
er result than getting him used to sitting
on haircloth chair without desiring to
tip it 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 q 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 gath
ering them. 0a this occasion James was
up amid the branches of the tree on g
siepladder, and Martha Ann stood on
the ground, catching each apple. one by
! one, in her apron.