The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-05-02
DUE TO A GRAM0PHONE.
HELP TO A RAsHFuL MAN.


"Well, well, my boy, what is the
matter with you of late? You are not
your real self, because you are not
half as jolly as you are accustomed
to be. Perhaps you are not well, or
excuse me IL l am too abrupt-you
might be In love-"
The speaker was tall, good ma
tured, fatheIly looking old gent He
was sitting in an old-fashioned arm
chair, his elbows on his knees, and
his chin resting In the palms of his
hands.
His nephew, Harold Martin, was
sitting opposite the old man, and from
all appearances one would think, as
did his uncle. that he was not In the
best of health but as we shall later
perceive, he was not physically In.
jured, but Cupid had made Its appear
ance.
"Well, Uncle Jack, seeing that You
have struck 1t right, l Will be frank
with you. The fact Is | am in love,
and ah, uncle, she is a dream l can.
not describe her In words, but one
her, and l am quite sure she returns
my affections"
why not marry, tnen," said her I'M
Gle, "if she loves you and you love
her? What Is it that stands between?"
1T Is the simple reason that | do
no know how to ask her to be my bet
ter half"
"Ila, hai' laughed the old man, fall.
Ing back IN his chair and letting the
pipe which he had been smoking fall
10 The floor. THAT reminds me OF
when was bashful youth of about
your age. |, too, was in love. She was
not dream, however, as you describe
her, but one who would make any
man happy.
I'VE had been keeping company for
two years, and at the end or that time
| thought | would learn my fate.
"lt was about two weeks befoN my
twentieth birthday, and mother ,Ts
busy preparing reception which
was TO celebrate the occasion. OF
course my lady love was TO be present
and l had determined on that night TO
have Il decided answer. As | said be-
fore, was bashful and did not know
how TO present myself, so in the after
noon of the eventful day | went In
the parlor to rehearse what | would
say to her that evening so as not to
be clumsy. Well, | had my rehears-
nj all right, and thought myself pre-
pared.
1t was early In the evening and
many guests had arrived, among them
my lady love. They were in the recep-
tion room looking ut some plants
which mother had brought from
abroad. While they We're thus engaged
l went TO Pearl Chat was her nance,
and after receiving her congratula-
tons and many happy returns of the
day escorted her to the parlor to see
my presents.
well, we were laughing and enjoy
Ing ourselves, such as lovers do, when
suddenly her eyes frightened, and go
ing to n corner of the room, she ex-
claimed: "Oh, Jack, do make this in
strument talk. I'd just love to hear
it,
Il went to where she was standing
and there in the corner was a grSnfr-
ophone. l had not seen it before, but
as afterward learned, it was pres
ent from friend. and mother had put
1t there that morning so as to surprise
me.
II fixed it so that II werl' talk and
we sat down to be entert., lei. You
can imagine the plight / W. in. boy.
when 1t repeated word aste word the
rehearsal | had that afternoon. Great
as was my establishment, 1t was moth
ing compared with PEARLS. Well, boy,
| Will not SO into particulars, and to
make long story short we were mar
ried shortly after and happier cou-
pie never lived"
Whether Harold followed his unele's
method Of proposal or not 1t Is hard
to say, but nevertheless he was accent
ed, because one month later the mar
riage of Miss Vera Stapleton to Mr..
Harold Martin was announced. and
soon after the wedding took place.
Many valuable presents were lsyished
upon the pair, among them Uncle
Jacks graphophone.