The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-11-10
.'ow? Wen, do you know Miss Hop

cry we'll, L Ses. she comes from
| where | do
YES she ses, AN so do L.
.''Go on, ses /; you're kiddin' me-
40, well. you needn't believe me un-
| less you like, she ses.
| swell. in bit found out that it was
the truth She worked at Ribbon an
| Chiffun's, an the reason | 'adn't seen
'er before was that she lived bit out
| of the town. an went by train night
an mornin'
| ''Well, met 'er again the next morn
in, an l spent the rest of the week with
'er, for was 'avin' my 'olidays at the
| time. spent lot of money on 'er, too,
one way an another. l bought 'er hice
| creams an chocolates, an paid for 'er
'avin' 'er fortune told by the gypsies.
They said she'd marry a good-lookin'
| young man with hauburn air, an she
said afterwards it was very funny they
should say hauburn air, for my airs
that colour, as daresay you'll ave no
! ticed."
II think even the longest folk
lose their leads at the seaside" he went
on. Il know lost mine, for that same
| afternoon there was a chap on the sands
takin' Photographs. II wanted to take
| us together, said we'd make the pref
test pictur' ED ever took. She seemed
| inclined for it, an so we went in an
| were took, 'er sitting down, me
standin' up. A bob it cost me. /
| thought it was cheap at the time, but
| well, it was the maddest thing / ever
did. OF course, before the week was out
I'd regularly proposed to 'er, an that
although l knew 'er father was only
| joiner an 'er mother took in SEWN.
Perhaps you'd think as when I got
| back to the shop an began work again
L should come to my senses and back
out, but not bit of it. L was arr orr
my dot about 'er, an L used fairly to
| look forward to Sundays, when | took
er walks. Very soon 1 started goin'
| to the 'ouse to tea. Although they was
what you would call in tumble circum-
stances, they was very respectable, an
they'd a nice front parler where me an
| Polly used to sit on the sofa.
swell, things went on pretty smooth
| ly-like for some time, an then, one fine
mornin', old Flint surprised me by tell
in me ed niece a-comin' to keep 'ouse
for i'm, is old missis gettin' too old to
do much, an as she'd 'ad fancy educa
ton e said she'd be able to give us
and with the books.
SWELL, it was bit of a novelty this,
to ave lady clerk, but when l told
Polly she didn't arr seem to like it.
"'She1l be wantin' to firt with you
arr 'er time, KNOW she ses.
She'll ave to want them ses I, an
then, of course, she made me promise
| not to carry on with FER. Girls is awful
| jealous one of another. As for me, l
| never thought of nothin' of the sort, for
the fact was I'd got it into my 'ead she
wouldn't be up to much, for old Flint
an is missis were not what you could
call good lookin'.
"'Owever, as things turned out, 1
was mistook for once, for though she
| wasn't anyways equal to Polly, yet I've
seen far worse-lookin' gals. She was
big an tall, with black eyes-fne eyes
| they were; an from the very first she
seemed disposed to make 'erself haf-
fable. Of course 1 always did the polite
to lady, but l wasn't more than polite,
though | could see she was ready
enough to take on; an, what is more,
| it soon struck me that old Flint 'ad no
objection to it either, for whenever e
found us chattin' e said nothin'
II soon found l was right about this.
| for one day e actually asked me if I'd
come to tea the followin' Sunday. AS
luck would ave it, Polly couldn't see
me that day, and 'er mother an 'er were
goin' to see a haunt who was i'll, an so
l said I'd be very pleased Of course
didn't tell Polly.
sit was a lot better evenin' than ex-
pected. We'd rare spread, chicken
an am, ar all sorts of cakes an jams,
| an Loo was regularly toffed up and
looked better than thought it possible.
After tea she played for us, an she
could play, all the latest comic songs,
an gave 'em When my air began to
| curl 1t fairly knocked 'em, the old
chap especially.
You must come an sing for us
again, Joe,' e ses, when l was goin'.
| Me an the missis is very fond of a bit
of real good singin', an Loo will always
play your acompaniments.'
"a day or two after that the old man
draws me aside very confidential like.
"'Joe,' SEES e, that niece of mine is a
fine player on the pianny, amt she?'
| Very fine ses /.
San she's a nice girl, too ses e,
next.
every nice ses I.
'''An ell be a lucky man what gets
'er,' ses e.
ITO this / said nothin', but my cart
! jumped, for it occurred to me what e
was a-drivin' at. A day or two after
e comes to me again.
| "'Joe, e ses, after a bit, there's
somethin' | want to say to you this
afternoon, an as I'm plain man I'll
say it in plain words. It's this-me an
the missis ave took fancy to you, an
we want you to marry Loo. She's well
worth marryin', for when we're gone
she'll ave all there is. Now, if you'll
say yes Pm ready to make the business