The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1902-12-31
UNIQUE PRtPosALS.
SOME RATHER CURIOUS METHODS
or POPPING THE QUESTION

OF POPPING I1e 9okoftON
vyfsfp~ ~ order Of Marriage with
n shstwun-I.Sicaag . Love Letter
WIN . Embellishments and
vsrssaAles PrssseA fnts Service
Mis- Annie Oakley, the champion
rihs shot, was raeticins in a London
shooting gallery one day. nnns At the
regulation cardboard target, when q
stranger happened along and. picking
up . spare rife. fred 100 shots therest.
the whole spelling out the following
message; .wM yoa marry meY'
The lady was naturally somewhat
surprised; but not to be outdone. she
promptly replied after similar fashion
with her own match riiA Certainly
not"
This h probably unique as an offer
Of marriage, but II IL fact that
ycung matron living in 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 4 shooting gallery In
q certain popular place Of amusement
tsoon, alas. to be closed forever which
II down westminste. way" and her
sweetheart that was and husband that
10 used to drop in Of an evening to
practice. He became 20 expert after
awhile that he could place the shots
where be liked to within a fraction of
an inch. and he frequently used his
skin when no incouvenient onlookers
were around In the manner indicated.
Needless to say that a. soon a. he had
finished the little perforated squares
of cartridge paper were carefully re
moved and preserved BY her for whom
alone the messages 20 curiously writ
ten thereon were intended
The most farfamed feature Of the
beautiful Yosemite valley. In Cslifor-
MIA. 10 the Bridal Ven fall. II descends
from the plateau. nearly 1900 feet
above, in 4 single ribbon Of silvery
water limned luminously against the
DARK vertical face Of the precipice.
Perhaps II was it, romantic name
which suggested 10 Charles Evelyn. 4
young and wealthy San franciscan. to
utilize the falling strea inlet 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 It's nnal terrific leap into the abyss
below. a sort Of vertically sliding
sluice door which worked 10 smoothly
and DO perfectly that 1t 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
nateiy raising and lowering the sluics
gates above for longer or shorter inter
walls, as the case might be, he caused
the cascade to tell her in spurts and
tetA 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 4 message
sacred to her eyes alone 10 not record
Cd, but she has, at all events, the SUI
preme satisfaction Of rejecting that
she 10 the only woman In the world to
whom Z love letter has been indited by
4 harnessed waterfall
Love letters spelled out in fireworks
are OF course common. One such writ
ten aloft in particolored globes of lame
and addressed by 4 Magyar noble to
his affianced bride at Herrmannstadt
10 said to have cost fS00.
In a Sussex garden q lovelorn but
bashful swain sowed IN mustard and
crsss a marriage proposal to the daugh-
ter Of his next door neighbor, and the
fair one, not to be outdone, answered,
Yes" In radishes. They were mar
Red without delay, and both the pro
posal and the answer were served and
eaten at the wedding breakfast.
After all, however, II IL 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 1000 years ago a proposal for
the hand OF an Egyptian princess was
inscribed elabprately 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 his
wife By sending her presents Of young
and beautiful child slaves. each of
whom bad some tender and loving
message tattooed on the skin Of the
back, while, coming down to more
recent times, 1t II recorded Of the
Prince de Cont that he sent to a GER
tain great lady a proposal indited on
q golden plaque, sxquisitely engraved
the letters Of the words Of the epistle
being formed Of diamonds. rubies anc
emeralds set in the metal
The lady's answer was, however. In
the negative, whereupon the prince re-
quested that she would at least do
him the honor Of accepting 4 ring con-
tanning a miniature of himself To
this she assented. but stipulated that
the ring should be destitute of jewels.
The tiny portrait was accordingly set
in q simple rim Of gold. but to cover
the painting large diamond. cut
very thin. served a. a glass The lady
promptly returned the jewel. where
upon the prince had 1t ground to pow
der, which he used to dry the ink Of
the note he wrote to her on the sub