The Ely miner., 1901-10-25
Capt. Neely, who was nearly so

doubted his ability to keep things alive
for party of summer ladies and his
standing offer, which he announced
was good for 364 days only, created
great excitement among the girls.
They declared that the captain was
either impossible to suit or that he
must be suffering from an unrequited
affection, or was absolutely heartless
because he fatty refused all offers un-
til broken hearts became as common
as candidates for legislative honors.
The end of the season came and
found him still open to engagements
and he confided to one of the young
ladies' that he was thinking seriously
of settling down lest he might make
the mistake of walking clear through
the wood and then at last picking up
crooked stick.
''You accept whatever offers to-
night, captain" said she, mischievous
ly. 1t was the night of the last dance
of the season.
Capt. Neely, who was not dancing
man, promenaded the veranda with
combination of blond hair and pink
muslin on his arm, and as they joined
a group of dancers who had come out
side for air, she who had advised him
to make up his vacillating mind on this
very occasion, demanded to know if
he had made that concession in Peg
gy's favor. The captain replied that
with the full consent of those whom he
had already refused he had done so,
and thatSthe consolation in this in
stance was to be fancy saddle horse.
"Well, Peggy, such a horsewoman as
you certainly cannot afford to ignore
such chance. You would better
speak now or forever after hold your
peace" laughed this irrepressible
meddler.
"How can I propose now?" asked
Peggy. whoever heard of ballroom
proposal where there wasn't conser-
vatory?"
Couldn't we 'unconsciously drift
apart from the others ?'' asked the
candidate for matrimonial nomina-
ton.
''That might do" answered Peggy,
and she drew the tall captains arm
through her own, and together they
strolled among the lantern-lit trees.
The irrepressible meddler looked
after them, and thinking that Peggy
never appeared lovelier than she did
tonight in her pure white gown with
field daisies in her hair, she wondered
if the captain would remember her
joking advice. The lights grew fewer
and farther between.
swell, Peggy, why don't you begin;
surely you have heard this thing done
times enough to know how?"
She had dropped his arm and the
joke as soon as they were outof sight
of the group on the veranda, but he
insisted on keeping up the conversa-
tion as it had started out.
Miss Randall was generally regarded
as young woman without vulner-
able point; stony-hearted, in fact. In
reality she was a girl of unusually
high ideals and probably because she
had so much to give she expected much
in return. Not perfection, but her
ideal of manhood was a noble one,
and Capt. Neely at times seemed to
her to more nearly fulfill it than any
man she had yet known.
1t always seemed to her that she
never appeared to such poor advan-
tage swhen with him, for then all the
ability as conversationalist with
which. she was credited seemed to de-
sert her and she felt that to him she
must appear a most uninteresting
person.
Now she dared not let him see that
she was afraid to go on with the farce,
so in the gayest manner she began
again just as they came upon seat
among the trees, into which the cap
tain deliberately threw himself, leav-
ing her standing: "My adorable James
isn't that the way they usually be,
gin?"
"Very good" was the answer, "but
I positively refuse to listen to any pro-
posal unless the suitor gets down on
her knees"
"You base man, you evidently mean
to luxuriate in the situation, but I
can't go down on my knees here. I'll
soil my Dress"
Capt. Neely gravely spread his
pocket handkerchief on the ground in
front of him and imperatively mo-
toned her to kneel. and that she did,
and in the most approved voice of sup
pressed emotion began:
"My adorable James; while deeply
conscious of my great unworthi-
ness"
"Don't mention it,
"-I must utter the words that have
so long trembled upon my ips-I-
II
swell, utter them"
MAY dare believe that the feel
ing entertain for you is in a meas
ure reciprocated, and that at no dis
tant time l may have the unutterable
happiness of calling my own one
whose welfare SO entirely fills my
soul and whose slightest wish will
ever be my law?"
"You may gravely answered the
beloved one, and he bent forward to
raise the accepted suitor from her
knees.
"Oh, you promised you would re-
fuse" and Peggy looked as though
cold shower bath had suddenly de-