Frostburg mining journal., 1895-08-17
PARALYZED.


feelings of the heart which tend to1nake
a man see all women as the only perfec-
ton of creation, and some one woman
as the aggregated perfection Of all wom-
en-my emotions, as was about to say
when l interrupted myself, are utterly
paraly lyzed and have been since the 14th
day of last September at 15 minutes aft
er | O'Clock a. m, eastern time.
At that hour and for several hours
previously l was i'll the act of spending
my summer vacation at a delightfully."-
quiet and retired resort on the Atlantic
coast, where also, among a number of
other fortunates, were Miss Ruth Allen,
Miss Myrtle Morton-such a sweet name
that, 1 used to think and Jack Foster,
the bane of my existence and the para
lyzer of my emotions.
Foster was dashing fellow, while l
was merely dashed fellow, and because
of that possibly was less fortunate in
my heart affairs than he was. In any
event, never loved dear gazclle, as
the poet has it, believe, but some day,
sooner or later, the nervy Foster came
that way and chose her for his mate,
the result OF which invariably was that
l lost her.
Several times during the summer l
had, for these depredations of his, been
tempted to drown him, for was a fine
sailor and he wasn't, though he often
went out with me, because, as he said,
he felt safe i'll my hands, and he had a
large life insurance policy in addition.
Then he would laugh at his time tried
and fire tested insurance joke, and all
the girls would laugh also.
Bah! The idiots, to laugh at an old
chestnut like that! A cocoanut was
equally as funny and much larger.
However, as time moved on Jack gave
me a chance, and, left to my own de-
vices, it was not great while before l
was paying undivided attention to Miss
Allen and Miss Morton. These two We're
my choice, and one, felt sure, would
be chosen, but as yet l had not deter
mined which one.
The time for decision came at last,
though, for my month was nearly up,
and on that sweet September morn had
an engagement to go walking with Miss
Allen. l felt that morning that she was
the one woman of all women for me,
and l asked her to go with me, so that
l might have an opportunity to ask her
q far more important question. am
sure that she knew my purpose, for 1
was i'll my heart.
miss Ruth" said as we strolled
along the shore returning to the hotel,
"may I ask you question:"
Certainly, Mr.. Bryting," she re-
piled as sweetly as a girl could reply or
a bird could sing
ut is not an every day question, " I
said as slight preparation to her. ''but
one of great importance to me-"
''It ism t q conundrum, is it?' she ask
ed nervously. "For hate conundrums. !"
eyes, it is" 1 answered "At least
it is about something l don't want to
give up"
There wasn't anything funny in that,
but 1 laughed at it and she joined in it,
giving me to that extent an addition to
my courage.
she said. "You surely can answer your
own conundrum.
mot this one, l fear.
Goodness; it must be hard one.
Don't ask me- I'm sure can't answer
it..
Eyes, you can" I insisted. You
know" and l became serious, "you
know, Miss Ruth, that for some time
past have been thinking of you great
deal, more indeed than should have
done, for there was so much uncertainty
i'll it all. have been thinking of this
very moment, and Of you. and of what
l should say to you and how should
all things earthly"
"Well, but what is your conundrum?"
Miss Allen asked
"Simply this, viii you be my wife?"
l said, dropping on CIV" knee i'll the sand.
Goodness! l can .,lswer that easily
enough. No. l cannot marry you"
The unhesitating way i'll which she
spoke made me almost hopeless, yet I
persisted,
But you could learn, "Ipleaded there
in the sand-fool that was to think
that a woman could learn to marry a
man! Whoever heard of such thing?
NO." she said, Il could not learn
for-for-for
"Don't finish the sentence" said
bitterly as rose from my devotional at