Daily inter mountain., 1900-12-26

s THE MYSTERY OF A PROPOSAL s;
IS BY !. Noel Johnson *
;Ss.nr.,n,..nn e

BY i. Noel Johnson

"SAsASA5SSs1SS
copyrighted, 1900, Daily Story Pub. Coz
"Of all strange features about human
, mater to me-" said aunt Jemima Mead
ers, the quarest one is that them folks
who have come off first best from the
hand o mater, is the kind that sets the
least value on the work, while what
mater has been stingy, hard, an ugly,
in turnin out a job. thar yiul fir.d most
redicilous self-aperesiahun. The sweet
est flowers hide in ugly hooks, while dog
/ fennel, jmSon- weed, and burdock crowd
along the highway"
I've alters noticed that ar" returned
old Nancy Latimer, givingg her clay pipe
! fresh feed. I've alters noticed that
hang-back dispersiton on the part of the
feater- favored people. Everybody wants
| ter chase arter 'en, an that keeps 'em,
! like a dogged cat, in er chronic state o.
skeer. I'm most 'shamed ter let it git
out, Mis- Meaders, but, when ! wuz a
gal, l wuZ more retirin' nor crawfsh.
! When young fellers wud come swarmin'
ter our house I'd go up the ladder to the
left like a squirrel up a tree, leavin' my
plain but brave sisters to bear the brunt.
years afore me. an I'd er still hin single
if it hand't er bin for Mam's trick. One
| day, when she seed Joe Latimer comm,
she took down the ladder as he was
comm in at the door. He caught me an
wouldn't let me go till blessed him with
a promise
Aunt Jemima lifted her bandana,
/ dropped smile among it's folds, and
| proceeded:
! I've hearn q that-yas take that Ed
! gar Taggart for a sample. He's tall,
| broad, fine shaped, an is graceful as a
pine when bowin' and scrapin' to soft
wind; stin look how he tries to sneak
away this beauty lie enters the church
house like a timid child pullin back from
stranger Gals all focus on him as he
enters, an jest set drinkin his beauty
| while he snooks off in er dark corner an
sets b!ushin' like smoky sunset On
/ the other hand, here comes Tim Brad
I, ford, who is ugly enough to make an ole
| family nag run away His white hair
sticks out in whisps, like paint brushes.
| His lips look like the edges Of wet sole
| leather forced together. His ears stick
cut like fans. His eyes run out and his
forehead runs back. His nose. long,
| thin, high an crooked, looks like it had
| been whitfield from a clopboard with a
! dull knife. and struck his dough-col-
ored face by drinllin' hand Still he
| enters a church. an in every look an
| motion, seems ter announce: Here 1
ccme. the king of grace an BOOTY An
his ugly impudence carries him to the
sides of the pirtest gals when church is
| ever. While others sigh an wish they
could, he goes right in an dares am
! does.
1T amt no serprise to me thet he's
j on ga tn of tGa
rirtiest gals on the cricks. While poor
/, Edgar Taggart who loves Emma Sal
yers, the sweetest gal in the country, an
IS wOrShipped by her, stands around,
like a sick rooster in a cold rain, an
lever offers to so with her. Hit makes
me sorry for both of 'em. She does all
| a modest gal can do to toll him up, but
he never gifts in grabbin distance of her.
She's tried goin with others to spur up
his jealousy, but it only skeers him fud-
der off. Hits a plum pity. His bashful-
ness promises to leave him in miserable
ole bacheorhood, an will force poor Ella
at some hopeless hour. into marriage
! with my son Fred, the lawyer out to
! Vanceburg, tOle me when he was home
last Sunday night that he was goin' to
fix on plan to git 'em together, an eff
he sots in on it. he'll work it. Him an
Edgar alters wuZ the greatest crones in
the world, an it's through love for Ed
an friendship for Emma that will cause
| him to fix up some rascally trick shary
lawyers, tell ye."
About a week after the above chat
between Aunt Jemima Meaders and old
Mis- Latimer, an elegant looking town
gent" called at the home of Edgar Tag
CART
"Why, hello, Fred. Come in, SIR
effusively greeted Edgar Taggart when
he appeared at the door in response to
| the formers knock.
"Of course I'll go in, and have chair
and make my self to hum,' laushingly
spoke the young lawyer.
whats the news, Fred?" inquired
Edgar, as conversation started.
Il hear you are to get married right
away"
"What.' - exclaimed Edgar. spread
! ing his blue eyes =? =? {?
though entirely lacking in you. A finer
match was never made in the mountains.
You are as good looking as you look, and
she looks as good as she is. and that's
a great deal to say indeed-but not bit
too much. Oh, don't sit there with your
eyes popping, and your jaw on your col
lar bone. You don't know how I know
but here's her answer. I was at her
house not aver an hour ago-n fast I
carried your letter of proposal to her.
and as ! wanted this standing case
closed up-filed away, as it were-I in
| sisted on her answer instanter."
"You took my letter of proposal!
| What do you mean, man Are you
crazy?
| Il may be in some respects. It's a
theory of some high grade philosophers
that on some point or another, were all
crazy. I'm crazy,I think. after a little
beauty out of town, whose father has a
fortune. and you're doubtless crazy
about Emma. You've let your mind run
on her long enough, the Lord knows!
| But drop that crazy stare and stare at
! this"
read:
| NV Dearest Edgar.