Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1894-10-25
PROPOSED ~ TELEPHONE.
n Hardware Drummer Gets Ahead
az His Rival.

/
a Hardware Drummer Gets Ahead
Of His Rival.
An event has occurred in Michigan,
near Detroit, which appears to con-
firm the idea that courtship, as well
as most other things will hereafter
be greatly facilitated by recent in
ventions. 1t seems that there Is .
young lady residing In Detroit who
for some time has been the recipient
Of the attentions OF two young men,
one professor In the State Univer-
sity at Ann Arbor and the other q
travelling salesman for q New York
wholesale hardware house whose
route extends through Michigan and
parts of Canada.
One day recently the New Yorker
arrived in Detroit late in the after
noon, and, of course, Immediately
started to make the rounds of the re-
tail hardware dealers, with the laud-
able purpose of selling each good
stock for the winter before the repre-
sentative of any rival concern should
put in an appearance. He had hoped
to visit the object Of his affections in
the evening, but business was brisk,
and eight o'clock found him very
busy trying to induce prominent
dealer to take six dozen axes, four
dozen grindstones, and half car load
of wooden pals.
AT this stage of the proceedings a
younger brother Of the young lady
dropped in to get a new jackknife
and incidently mentioned that the
Ann Arbor professor was up at the
house. 1t instantly occurred to the
progressive hardware and cutlery
drummer that the college man came
for no other purpose than to lay his
heart at the feet of the young lady
he adored. For moment there was
struggle in his heart, but he speed
lily got control of himself and de-
cided that he could not possibly
leave the store, as the dealer
was just deciding to take the
pals.
But the thought of giving up the
lady, who had been for months con-
stantly in his mind, waking and sleep
ing, was unbearable. Light suddenly
dawned on him. Handing the mer-
chant circular explaining the mer-
it's of his new double bladed chopping
knives, he requested the use of the
dealers telephone for five minutes,
stepped to it and rang up the CEN
trail office.
A moment later the telephone bell
at the residence of the young lady
rang, sharp and decisive. The pro-
fessor had been there for an hour,
talking pleasantly of the grand edu-
cational work they were doing in the
department of fossilology at Ann
Arbor. When the bell rang the lady's
father being absent Che is a phys
ician), she excused herself and pro-
ceeded to the adjoining room to an
swer it. The professor heard her
step to the telephone and say yes"
make short pause and say ''yes"
again. Then there was longer pause
and he heard her reply 'Why-why
really, this is very sudden" Then
there was still longer pause, and he
heard her say Eyes" very softly, and
then 'good-by," and then she hung
up the receiver and came into the
back room.
The college man moved closer to
the lady and remarked that it was
warm evening, and he thought it was
going to rain, and then resumed his
talk about the great work at the uni
versity. Fifteen minutes later there
was ring at the front door bell. The
lady responded to it, and district
messenger boy handed her plain
gold ring, which she slipped on her
finger, and returned into the parlor.
Miss -" said the professor, five
minutes later, II want to ask you q
very 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 min
utes later the professor went down
the front steps and shook his fist at
the telephone wire, and took the first
train for Ann Arbor. Hardware.