The St. Johns herald., 1900-10-20
A Bottled Proposal

street chock full of hurrying clerks. Yet, if the nose be held tight between fhe fingers, the busy scene might be enjoyed.
 London makes its toilet later than any other city. More shame to it! But vet on this particular morning romance was not in the least wanting. Some one was saying:
 'fMy dear Rose, of course mean all what's straight. How could anyone do otherwise, my dear little woman?"
 The young man who thus spake was e well-groomed creature, with some what assertive air of gloves, ties and gardenia in button hole. The gloss oh his hat would have more than passed muster in Capel Court. His spats were not unworthy of Kempton Park. His stick was triumph of hooked poetry, and would have shed luster on the Promenade des Anglais in the height of the Riviera season. Yet, despite all this, there was an over-smartness both morally as we'll as physically which was not by any means agreeable.
 The girl he was speaking to? Type writer of the highest order personi- fed.
 So Miss Rose Johnson's Gig of Re- spectability was a Hansom's Patent Safety.
 So she evidently meant it to be un= derstood as the tale of love was being told into her shapely ear this steam ing hot morning by the dustbins of Threadneedle street.
 "Rose," again said the young man, who was walking beside her with his glove touching her elbow, "Rose, how can you doubt me?"
 "If you wanted to marry me-" she answered, couldn't you have written and said soT'-and, perhaps imper- ceptibly even to herself, there was a faint lowering of the dexter eyelid. "But, then, you're lawyer, Mir. Ster- rimer, and lawyers are not overrash at putting pen 10 paper"
 'What a prosaic little darling you are! Haven't I publicly shown you every attention?"
 "Yes, you gave me watch, ring, um- brella, before my cousins. Watch at Richmond; ring at Box Hill, in the Burford Bridge Gardens; umbrella at the Holborn, when you stood that din- ner to Maude and me before we had the box at the Tivoli. But I'm busy now, and have got to turn in. Ta-ta! Per haps you will be round in the after noon."
 "Good-by, darling" and the young solicitor, for such he was, spoke in as dulcet tones as if he were asking tax inc clerk in chancery chambers not to knock off too many letters. But when the girl had tripped away up the stone steps of her office somewhat serious look shaded his face.
 "Think I'm going a bit too far. Meeting the ma was rather stupid. 1 don't think gave myself away much before the girls. But how nice she IS, and how nicely she does manage to take care of her dear little self Too risky, though, J. Laurence Sterrimer, Esq. Fellers who are rising professional men don't want to marry typewriters. Be- sides, you stand chance of getting Louisa Rousenbaum. And 5000 shin ing golden beans, dear boy, make a good lift for a good start"
 He was, you see, careful young man, who we'll knew how to take care of him. self. If he patronized a music hall matinee-and he loved to do so if sup Flied with the gratuitous order - he never seltzer-and-whiskied it in im- moderation, His betting transactions were few and far between, yet for tunate. The "Juggins," as he loved to think, was a man after his own heart; that is, he would not succeed in being after his own pocket. He was the sort of young man wFio kept a cigar case for himself and cigarette ditto for his friends. In his profession as solicitor he was curiously smart. He could snap judgment or hold his own amidst any of the deniZens of the Bear Garden in the royal courts of justice.
 Yet, for all that, such is the force of love, vanity, inclination, or what not, that that very self-same afternoon he found himself seated alone with Miss Rose Johnson in the room there she worked.
 As usual, the youth told his tale of love. The maid did not appear to be immoderately coy.
 ''.And do you mean to marry me?" asked sweet Rose. If am so ugly"- she smiled coquettishly-"you can shut your eyes as you make your proposal again. Will you say, as you did before: Dear Rose, love you for your beauty and virtue. Be my wife, darling! I should glory in your love, and glory to make it known to all the world Shut your eyes, sir, and you shall smell these lovely roses to inspire you and make you think of your own dear Rose"
 J. Laurence Sterrimer, Esq, looked about him. There were no witnesses. No one behind the screen; nobody at the keyhole. The room was double doored, green baize and heavy oak. In Kpired by love and the bouquet of roses Slaced against his somewhat Hebraic proboscis, he said with manly distinct ness:
 Dear Rose, love you for your beau " and virtue. Be my wife, darling! should glory in your love, and glory to make it known to all the world"
 The young man opened his eyes. The girl had laid the bouquet of roses on the side table. He clasped her to his heart.
 Three weeks afterward J. Laurence Sterrimer was eyeing two letters which lay beside him en his breakfast table. The one ran: