Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-02-15
HOW MEN PROPOSE.
Some Examples in Recent Fictioa-Is
the Sentimental Age Passings

Some Examples in Recent Fictioa-Is
the Sentimental Age Passing:
From the Chicago News
1t is said that there are as many ideals
of beauty there are men. tbs tIuism
also applies to other things, which Is well!
otherwise We should be bored. Suppose
every lover proposed in precisely the same
way One effect would be the demoIishing
Of the business of the story writer. De-
oenlber authors gallartly vary the interest
ing moment in their tales. Here IS the way
they get around the difficulty:
Mr.. Howells' young lady in Harper's,
after fatty telling the young man that she
guesses she dent care for him. and he car
go away, says: Thank you. / only wished
to know the worst. And you're rot going
away hating me?'
NO; loving You more than ever
She turns her face and averts her eyes
"Why-what are ycu-gcing for?'
'Ph,lLp par He throws his arms abort
her and clasps her to him.
Air. Foweils offers no explanation for her
turnabout prorensities. HIS silence adds
weight to his scorn for vaciiiat:ng women.
Kate Douglass Wisgin strings out the
propoGai in her story to column. which
IS had-at least for the article Hut the
lovers are forty and thirty-siE. so it does
gagged before.
In truth. NIadge Robertson has a pretty
story of a wealthy young medical student,
who so pities deforrlad little child
clinic that he finally allows her to keep the
coveted exquisite silver box of bon ions he
WIS about to carry as n birthday git to
the girl of his heart He explains TO the
young lady the absence OF ary gift from
him. When he has finished there were
tears in the girls eyes. and she extended
her hands. You viii go ard see the little
thing again" she said, softly, land IL
should Ike to go with you."
'.Aiw2ES?' ventured the young fellow
his heart beating painfully
He kissed her hand. Then he kissed her
arm. Then he looked up into her eyes, and
then-he kissed her lips. Ali this goes to
prove that the way to win girl is to find
object of charity and beStow on it some
thing irtel ded for her
In Lippincotts, Mary E. stickney's novel,
THE Old Silver Trail" has a doubie-bar-
relied proposal. The first does Tot court.
because the silver mine blows up and kills
the girls father in the midst of it. and the
girl breaks with her lover whom her father
hated, because he has ideas about Prov
dence and its Interference. Here is the
second proposal:
us it really your" he increduiously whis-
pered, with trembling touch caressing the
little hands. You here? Why are you
here. Dorothy?''
The doctor wrote me that you were
sick she faltered. her fingers Tightening
on his with a sort Of shuddering tender
ness as at a remembered terror
and you came for that, Dorothy sweet
heart? The last time / saw you you told
me that you hated me. 1t was not true:''
II thiDk-I think more of you-than /
thought l did" she murmured.
"Ah, the happy thought! God bless you
for it, sweetheart-mine.''
This is essentially a western method Of
patching up affairs. There is nothing SO
efficacious in the welding together of two
severed hearts as case Of brain fever
and an understanding doctor.
Robert Bars hero is frightfully prosaic
in The UndersSudy'' In the Cosmopolitan.
"Oh," answered tie girl. Il have no pa
| tience with you
I'm sorry for that Mary" said Ormond
''for if l could have made a living / in
tended to ask you to be my wife"
"Oh cried the girl, breathlessly turning
her head away. After the usual demurrer
she says yes"
Further search reveals the amazing fact
that the proposal-in literature at least
is becoming obsolete. Stories there are of
a plenty, but in the English publications
trey mostly relate to mysterious disap-
pearance of diamonds, or are tales of con-
spiracy OF intrigue, and in the American
product the proposal is oil done behind the
scenes-the reader is introduced to the en-
gagged couple or TO the ma rried pair The
sentimental age is passing, evidently, and
we coniemptuous1y hurry over the ro-
mantle episode to reach those dramatic
crises in life which seem to occupy the at
tention of both writers and readers