Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1902-12-06
UNIQUE PROPOSALS.
SOME RATHER CURIOUS METHODS
OF POPPING THE QUESTION.

Writing an Order of Marriage With
n Shotgun-Inditing Love Letter
With n ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ant
Vegetables Pressed Into Service.
Miss Annie Oakley, the champion
rife shot, was practicing in a London
shooting gallery one day, firing at the
regulation cardboard target, when a
stranger happened along and, picking
up a spare rife, fired 100 shots thereat,
the whole spelling out the following
message: ''Will you marry meY
The lady was naturally somewhat |
surprised; but, not to be outdone, she !
promptly replied after similar fashion |
with her own match rife, Certainly |
not"
This is probably unique as an offer |
of marriage, but it is a fact that a
young matron living in a south London
suburb has in her possession at this
present moment several rife written
love letters.
The lady in question was formerly
an attendant at a shooting gallery in
n certain popular 2 zee of amusement
Csoon. alas, to be closed forever) which
is "down Westminster way" and her
sweetheart that was and husband that
is used to drop in of an evening to
practice. He became so expert after
awhile that he could place the shots
h<, 70 vxritb fpoa n
an inch, and he frequently used his
skill when no inconvenient onlookers
were around in the manner indicated.
Needless to say that as soon as he had
finished the little perforated squares
of cartridge paper were carefully re-
moved and preserved by her for whom
alone the messages so curiously writ
ten thereon were intended.
The most farfamed feature of the
beautiful Yosemite valley, in Califor-
mia, is the Bridal Veil fall. 1t descends
from the plateau, nearly 5000 feet
above, in a single ribbon of silvery
water limned LUMINOSITY against the
dark vertical face of the precipice.
Perhaps it was its romantic name
which suggested to Charles Evelyn,
young and wealthy San Franciscan, to
utilize the falling streamlet in an alto
gether novel fashion. Anyhow he spent
several thousand dollars in construct
ing at the summit Of the cliff, just
where the water gathers itself together
for its final terrific leap into the abyss
below, q sort of vertically sliding
sluice door which worked SO smoothly
and so perfectly that it could be low
cred and raised several times in the
course of q single minute.
Then when his preparations were
complete he brought to the valley from
her far eastern home the young lady to
whom he was engaged, and by alter
nately raising and lowering the sluice
gates above for longer or shorter inter
walls, as the case might be, he caused
the cascade to tell her in spurts and
jets, corresponding to the dots and
dashes of the Morse alphabet, Of the
love he bore her. Whether the lady eX-
actly approved of this blazoning abroad
of what should have been a message
sacred to her eyes alone is not record
ed, but she has, at all events, the SUI
preme satisfaction Of rejecting that
she is the only woman in the world to
whom a love letter has been indited by
a harnessed waterfall
Love letters spelled out in fireworks
are of course common. One such writ
ten aloft in particolored globes of flame
and addressed by a Magyar noble to
his affianced bride at Herrmannstadt
is said to have cost $500.
In q Sussex garden q lovelorn but
bashful swain sowed in mustard and
cress a marriage proposal to the daugh-
ter of his next door neighbor, and the
fair one, not to be outdone, answered,
EYES," in radishes. They were mar.
ried without delay, and both the pro-
posal and the answer were served and
eaten at the wedding breakfast.
After all, however, it is doubtful
whether the modern lover has, on the
whole progressed very far in the mat
ter of inventing novelties, either in
marriage proposals or love letters
Nearly 1900 years ago a proposal fol
the hand of an Egyptian princess was
inscribed deliberately on a block OF
solid stone and can be seen to this
day by any one curious in such mat
tiers in the British museum. Machares
an old time king of Colchis, wooed hi'
wife by sending her presents Of younl
and beautiful child slaves, each o.
whom had some tender and lovipt
message tattooed on the skin of tn,
back, while, coming down to NOR,
recent times, it is recorded Of thu
Prince de Cont that he sent to Ger
tain great lady a proposal indited Oh
q golden plaque, exquisitely engraved
the letters of the words of the epistl
being formed of diamonds, rubies ant
emeralds set in the metal
The lady's answer was, however, il
the negative, whereupon the prince re
quested that she would at least d
him the honor of accepting a ring con
foipiOo a miniature of himself IT