The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-10-29
A PROPOSAL

Was AssGe5 Du6 10 was uAdFOlQdD40s
Somebody else's business detained mel
wouldn't have allowed my own to-and
conseq uently felt somewhat nervous as I
was ushered in.
"How good Of you to come, after all, -
she said. "rm SO glad When I saw it
was raining--a little-Qt was really cats
ind dogs III was afraid you wouldn't
venture outl I suppose you waited to SET
If it would clear up"
81 knew you couldn't resist the tempta-
! ton to tease me, was my smiling reply,
for felt this time I had the better of her.
Victory for you, she acknowledged,
pushing toward me my favorite chair,
land we are both in a good humor today,
aren't we?''
81 am always in good humor''
'Oh! So am l." she answered.
"Well, then, that's settled, - and sank
into the chair. 1.-The next question is how
long are we to remain sop
II don't like to discuss periods of time
with you. I notice you have only one
series of adverbs, such as Away, forever
ard as long as 1 live -
"And you dislike themP"
81 don't say that. It depends-but they
are little extreme. Don't you think soP'
''Do you realize that have called on
you every day this week, and isn't that
l1CUl0 o3IEo4lSF 1n1S IS Gn0 S16U0 V1S1D.
81 don't know if you are right in your
calculation or not, but I'll ask my sister
in-law. She's sure to have Kept count
but how will she know?'
81 don't know how. She has strange
and, believe, occult means OF finding out
everything. She is much more of an au-
thOrity on my own affairs than I am. For
one thing, she has window in sight of
which my front door naively is. OF course,
Oh ,tay,ae Hr,+ eI,O e,47 ~, %614
window, and naturally she doesn't shut
her eyes. Then she is very neighborly,
never misses day coming over, and each
one of her questions is sure to hit some
nail on the head. Verifies her eyes through
her ears, as it We're. Don't think mean
she's prying, because she isn't. She's
dear soul and a born moyher, that S. ALL
and, not having any children, she has to
take care of anything that comes her way,
even widowed sister-in- law very near her
own age
eff you need any one to take care of
you" began.
"Oh, deer. nol' she answered. 81 am
tired to death of it. L want to take care of
somebody myself for little while
You think 1 would be difficult sub
ject to handler
yes" she laughed 81 am afraid 1t
would be case of playing with fire and
Il wish did know your real opinion of
me, I sighed.
Isn't that very courageous wish?''
she suggested.
"Well, then, I'll put it this way-I wish
you could know my opinion of you.
But do know it,
81 never told you
"Haven't you? Oh, however, other peo-
pie have.'
"Who?"
LET me see. Ny sister-in-law for one"
Hang" 1 stopped.
Chow is it out?' she asked. "Warm?"
1 laughed and broke up my anger. Not
SO warm as indoors just at this moment, -
said. Then brilliant idea came to mo,
and I added: "I'll tell you what I'm going
to dc! I'm going to ask your sister-in-
law to let me paint her portrait!'' '
Tom Bowles, do you care as much for
me as all that?''
''Do you think she'll like the idea?'
''Likel She'll be nattered to death. Her
personal appearance is her one weak
pointl'
''Of course shall expect you to come
with her and chaperon US during the sit
tings.''
"Ohv'
"And you must give mo points to help
me win her over to my side"
''Your side of what's
MRS. Turnbull, why do you hold me of
sop AS l spoke L vowed to myself 'now
or never"
'Hold you OFF, And she laughed nerv-
ously. What remark I don't hold you
in any way
81 can't, won't jest any more about
it, 1 said, land if you are the woman
love you'll listen to me-.
'I'Il listen to you," she answered, with
oil Of Har j71rr h71rV
whether am the lady you mention or
not
'You know continued, paying no
attention to what she had said "a busy
| man does not go to see a woman every day
| in the week simply to kill time. You
know a man does not try to propose to a
woman on an average of twice an after
noon for a week unless he means 1t. You
know if man can't take his eyes from
| your face that he loves you, and you have
never seen my eyes wander. You know,
| you must, that uncertainty, even for an
alumnus half back, is terrible. I've been
on tiptoe night and day all week. I've
| been embracing the empty air and kissing
| the unsubstantial sunshine and moon
| light. Aly patience is all gone, but my
| love remains immovable. Why have you
| let me get so far toward asking you the
one leading question in Cupid's catechism
| ana then every time pulled me up snort,
breathless and angry? Why?"
"In tell you, she said earnestly, inter
rupting me before 1 could say more. 1.-The
| truth is, you We been SO nervous about it,
% tinid, suggesting everything and say
| ing nothing, beating around the bush and
leading up to the point by easy stages, that
| by the time you were ready to say the
| word was SO nervous myself and fdgety
I was actually afraid A sort of stage
fright it was. didn't dare let you speak
| If you had ever asked me straight out,
| don't doubt I'd have accepted you long
ago" She paused only for breath, but I
didn't wait.
''Wil you marry meP'' asked almost
with a gasp.
Yes
And that was all we said for a long,
| 1oyu Tina -Clvdo in,