The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-10-10
Concerning Proposals,

at the same time that although ne aad
been Jacks best man when We were mar
ried he need not be quite so familiar
with Jacks own particular armchair. !
never like to see any one at home in
Jacks chair, because, if I am lef w1G-
ow, l mean to keep it sacred to Jack s
memory.
"A fellow isn't allowed to see Baby
Jones alone for five minutes"
| Why do you want to see her aioae?"
1 said. for the fifth Jones girl, in my
mind, was still child. Perhaps this
was due to the fact that she is called
Baby" but Jack says it's because she s
not allowed to have her 18th birthday
until the two eldest girls are of" Nam
ma Jones may be right; more than four
girls out at one time is a great RESPONSE
biity
Bailey Junior, who had retained the
suffix Junior" ever since he went TO
school with his eldest brother, looked at
me in surprise. why do 1 want to see
her alone?'' ne replied: because 1 want
to propose, of course; a fellow can't pro-
pose with an audience"
You propose!' 1 echoed. Propose to
Baby Jonest"
And pray why shouldn't -" he ask
| ed. Anything the matter with me?''
He pulled down his coat and stuck out his
brown riding boots on the new hearth
rug. Bailey Junior prided himself on his
bootmaker. II can afford to keep wife;
Jacks married.
80, but Jacks quite different" I said.
| Anyone can see in a moment that Jack 5
different. Besides, you'll never get the
chance" I continued, remembering AMIN
ma Jones' theory.
''Why the deuce not?"
off first, and they must go in proper or
der. Jack says So"
Whats Jack got to do with it?"
80, nothing" 1 answered; "but Jacks
so clever; he always sees through
| things
why have the others got to go off
frst?" Bailey Junior asked. Baby s
marriage hasn't anything to do with the
Others"
20, yes it has; you don't understand"
mo, 1 don't; and I'm hanged if anyone
else does. Why can't they begin marry
ing from the other end?'
Because If the county knows that
| Baby's old enough to marry, that would
make the others just too old, don't you
| see? It's point Of honor with the Ba-
by to remain under II till the eldest girls
off,
|
see; that's why she's so slosely guarded
and why the eldest girl is always thrown
in my way; but I won't have her, tell
you. No Mamma Jones in the world will
make me marry the eldest; none Of your
serving for Rachel business for me-
That's right said, but you'll have
| to wait for Baby until some other fellow
does want the others
20, Lord" he exclaimed, in a tone of
voice which was scarcely complimentary
to the eldest Miss Jones:'"and I sail for
India this day week.
I'm awfully sorry I said; ''but that's
! the principle and code of honor in the
Jones family. You can't pick out the
best and leave Mamma Jones saddled
for life with the plain ones"
! Bailey Junior was silent, and I tried my
| best to think of some plan to help him
out of the difficulty. 1t was of no use
to suggest asking Baby Jones to spend
the day with me and letting Bailey Jun
Tor meet her here, for the Jones girls
never went about singly; they hadn't
enough friends to go all round, so that
| if you asked one to a tea two always
| came. They were such devoted fam
| lily.
Dear little girl he said, sacrificed
to her elder sisters. She'll be 80 before
she gets her hair, up at that rate. I
wonder what her age really is?'
She's probably got mixed herself" I
said, but isn't it up yet? 1t will be get
ting quite worn out,
ITS in sort of maidenly plait," Bailey
Junior said, reflectively, lawfully becom-
ing, don't you know, but
But it's time she wore quite long
dresses, and put it right up, isn't it? A
big girl old enough to be married in short
skirts. Jack thinks it horrid."
Il think they're lovely" Bailey Junior
answered, $50 arched and slender; just
think of the eldest girls
90, no one does" / said; "she was put
into long skirts before she left the nurs-
cry, and she was never allowed to play
lawn tennis"
Bailey Juniors furlough was up, and
he went back to India without having
proposed to Bay Jones. 1 met her six
weeks later, and she told me she had
had letter from him asking her to mar
ry him. She seemed much astonished
that he should want to marry her and not
her eldest sister The Joneses are not
an imaginative family, and such an I'M
conventional proceeding had not suggest
ed itself to the youngest of the family.
Poor old Bailey l said. He sat for
an hour and half talking to Bella
that is the eldest girls name-''the day
he went to say good-by, hoping that you
would come in; he was determined to
propose to you before he sailed"
Baby Jones opened her big eyes wide.
Did he really? But he ought TO have
known that mamma said he was to mar
~ Bella. 1 was sent out to do some
shopping, and the others staid in their
rooms and said they were out. I wonder
why he didn't propose to Bella?"
Because he was in love with you," 1
said. Don't you like him. Baby?'
20, yes" she said, slowly; hes nicely
sunburned. and with a little sigh. Il
do like his boots But it's BelIa's turn
first"
She took Bailey Juniors letter and
opened it.
Il must ask mamma" she said, for
the poor fellow seems quite anxious, and
he's in such a hurry. He wants me TO
wire back yes or no. He needn't be 50
impatient when it's only me he wants"
Baby" I said coaxingly. don't ask
your mother until you have sent the
wire. Mothers don't always understand
these things"
Then I turned and left her reading the
letter slowly to herself.
Bella will be awfully cross" 7 heard
her murmur: perhaps he has an elder
brother who wouldn't mind marrying
Bella"
BY the same post next evening I re-
ceived two letters. The one was from
Bailey Junior, asking me 10 plead his
cause with Baby Jones. 1t was an ardent
romantic letter, showing a vast ina gin
alton and limited understanding OF the
character OF his future wife, and the
other was from Baby Jones. It was so
romantic. but Jack says II IS fun of COM
mon sense and chara cteristic OF the Jones
family. Il ran thus: Wired back yes