Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1900-07-02
HIS DECLARATION OF LOVE.
1t Went Into Various Collections and
Brought Him Interesting Negatives.


to say this EVENING""
CT think you may, Mr.. Yip-
perly," came softly from her lips.
"Then, he proceeded, 81 may ven-
ture to hope that it will not wholly
surprise you. Mayhap, dear girl,
your own heart has told you already
what it is.
He placed his arm along the back
OF her chair, and, observing that she
did not appear to shrink from it, he
went ahead.
''Not with the boldn ess of one who
feels that he may presume upon a
favorable answer with absolute cer-
tainty do | venture to ask the momen-
tous question now trembling on my
lips, but rather with the dread of o
reply that may forever blast all my
hopes and drive me forth wanderer
and vagabond upon the face of the
earth! The issue at stake is so tre-
mendous, the consequences so lasting
and far reaching, that one may we'll
hesitate before stalking ones all, if it
may be so expressed, upon the cast Of
a die"
Slightly leaning forward she list
ened with parted lips and clasped
hands.
Therefore, beloved of my soul,
may have seemed as one who
"'---either fears his fate too much,
Or his desert Is small
inasmuch as have not been entirely
free from the suspicion of being one,
furthermore
"'Who will not put it to the touch,
70 win or lose 1t ALL
but while endeavoring on the one hand
to avoid the imputation of unmanly
cowardice and on the other the equally
reprehensible and more offensive
charge of overweening confidence and
self-conceit, [ am impelled by feel
ing stronger than my own will to lay
bare my heart before you, once for all,
and end the suspense that is weighing
upon me-"
"How beautifully you express your
self" she murmured.
'Listen, Buenavista McCorkle! I'm.
pressed with my own unworthiness as
l am, deeply sensible, as L must be,
of the inestimable value of the prize
to which 1 aspire, L yet dare in my
folly to rush in where an angel might
fear to tread. Gentle girl, your i'm
age possesses my heart absolutely.
Love like mine would melt the heart
OF marble statue. For weeks 1 have
seemed to move in dream. 1 could
see your face in the moon. Your eyes
twinkled in the stars. The winds, as
they blew softly through the trees,
seemed to murmur, 'Buenavista! Bue-
navistap The birds that sang beneath
my window twittered '1uenavistal
Buenavista' and their music echoed
in the chambers of my soul. The
clouds, as they moved maiestically
across the heavens"
so, how beautiful!'
took your form and seemed to
beckon me, and yet mock me as with
vision of the unattainable. In my
dreams, when sleep has ended my
vigis, have seen you as a Greek
goddess and worshiped you afar off
with despairing, deathless devotion"
"Have the conductors on the ele-
waited roads, as they mumbled out the
names OF the streets, seemed to soy,
'Buenavistal Buenavista too?"
"What mean you, Miss McCorkle?"
"Have the frogs in the marshes.
offering their evening prisons, breathed
into the raptured ear of night the
smoothly flowing name of sMcCorkle!
McCorklep"
"Why, let me ask, Miss McCorkle,
have you let me make such a bloom
ing idiot of myself if you intended
to give me the clammy hand in this
style? Did you think was practic-
ing for high school exhibition?"
so, no, Mr.. Yipperly, 1 have en-
joyed it greatly. 1 think, taking it
altogether, yours is one of the most
gorgeous and spectacular declarations
of love I ever listened to. Why did
l let you run on so long? Because,
Mr.. Yipperly, l am making a collec-
tlon of proposals of marriage, and
thought yours would be a valuable
addition. tits. 1t is absolutly unique.
You don't know how grateful 1 am for
it, as work of art.
The young man removed his arm
from the back of her chair, thrust his
hand into an inner pocket, and brought
forth folded manuscript.
For fear You might not remember
it in all its majesty and beauty, Miss
McCorkle, he said, tossing it into her
lap, "allow me to give it to you in
full, in typewritten form. You will
see that you missed the really eloquent,
spell-binding part Of it. The perora-
ton would have made your hair curl"
81 hope, Mr.. Yipperly, you will not
allow this To-
81 shan't lose an ounce of flesh or
a wink of sleep over it. | hired lit.
erary chap who was hard up to write
that thing for me, Miss McCorkle.
No, you can keep it. I've got an
other copy somewhere. L have tried
that production on five or six other
girls, and it's had the same effect on
all OF them. Pm getting an interest