The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1903-08-08
HELPING ON
A PROPOSAL
BY w w HINES.

Every one IN our set has known for
the last year that they We're very very
| much IN love with each 9th sr; that Is
/ every eto except Ned and Kate. Ned
l knew t3at he was I'm love With KATE
and Kate knew that She was in love with
Ned but Ned did not seem to have any
Idea that Kate was n love with him. ana
Kate did not quite realize that Ned was
| devoted TO her-hence my story
Neds manner is-to put Il mildly
rather stin. In fact some Of the more
| irreverent Of his friends have compared
him to an Egyptian mummy
Kate is-upon occasion-very dirniaed
ana these occasions seemed TO be always
coineidental with the presence OF Ned
/ Morton
The situation was calling loudly for a
ehmaker and ! was just on the point
~ Foiuhteering my services when heed
that their engagement had been an
/ nounced az the Davidsons house Marty
curiosity. according to my sisters. ia
\ or should be, the exclusive preroaativa
/ Of the feminine sex Sisters. however.
nave nothing 70 do with this story.
| ! called upon Kate as soon as heara
that she was back from Davlason,s
since celebrated my Mst birthday
can upon an the nice girls I know about
once a week
befor' that time used TO stand at
hates 'front.' gate and whistle until she
answered me. when we would sit on the
steps and talk. Now my calls are made
/ with Ell due formality.
Ostensibly I was making this call for
| the purpose of expressing 10 Kate nv
best wishes for her happiness Ia the new
relation which she WIS about 20 assume.
This phrase ! knew perfectly correct.
for ] learned # from book Of etiquette
which my sisters gave mo on my birth
day.
In reality I had come to learn ,ust
how Ned had ever gotten to the pyopos-
ing point.
Realizing that my dignity demanded
some reserve on my part. / resolved to
wait until Kate told me all about tho
matter Of her own accord
But the scheme would not work. Kate
was perfectly willing 70 talk. but she
knows that curiosity Is my weak point
and was determined 70 make me ask
point-blank for any information I wanted.
Finally my curiosity got the better OF
me and I said:
Come, now. Kate. Be a good fellow
ana tell me hoF on earth you ever got
Ned Morton TO + -oposeT'
For time ! ncled that my cousin
had taken leave OF her Wits Tor she
went on In NJ Of laughter taat was al
most hysterical
70, well" I said summoninR 10 my ala
an the dignity at my command. m this
Is the way your are going 10 treat vour
iaNorito cousin your favorile cousin viii
so can on some other girl. Anne Croiqh-
ton was ono OF the house party, and L
am willing 10 wager that nothing hap
pened that Anne did not knew about
evidently my dignihed way Of putting
tne matter carried weight with Kate,
LOT she eot some sort Of control Of herr
self and braced up enough 10 says
Don't be any more foolish than YOU
can help, Tom Kate does not really
think ! am foolish. you know. but she il
y year older than ] am and every once in
AHlle she tries 10 snub me for my own
good, as she says.
y was not laughing at you" she went
on, ana quite appreciate the fact that
since you have attained the dignity OF p
years you are no longer 10 be laughed
at l'll tell you the whole story and then
think you viii understand Just why i
laughed at your question.
When Mary DAWSON sent out iuylta-
tiohs Tor the house party she wrote to
tftSee one e1ceft Tom and me to take
me she suggested that we take he 4.S0
lraln. give you my word that / did not
suggest the idea on this TO Mary, but 1
VIII admit that / had an inkling she was
up to something because there was no
postscript to the letter which she wrote
me. 1 think she had merely determined
70 give lom and me one more chance to-
gether ana see il We would not land az
me mousse ap Engaged couple.
"Ou the way up 10 Benson which as
you know IS the nearest station 10 the
A'aNlseIs' llace Ned was his usual rather
sllsat and sum self, As l look back %
must have come as near huriiug myself
at his head as any well-bred giri could.
II expressed an ardent admiration for
All the cosy little suburban homes we
PASSED, but the conversation never got
for minute ca the love Ia a cottage
basis. Ned said the most dlscouraring
things about poverty In general and
cottages in particular.
1T began 10 rain refore we got 20
Benson, and when we got of the train
&c was raining hard. There was no one
10 meet us, and the station agent ex-
planned that the pavlsons bad sent an
n began 20 rain the driver had gone
back TO get closed carriage.
after haif-hour wait the closed
carnage put in an appearance. And
sight il was ] think ii must have been
apout % years old. The drive looked
as IL be and tho carriage had been
was as deaf as q post
1T seemed a Risky experiment but
az the best pace the Two horses were
capable Of making
The whole body of the carriage SHOOK
and quLAed. and by the time we had
gone a quarter Of a mile 1 was in
st@t@ Of terror bordering on panic.
Ned raped and rapped on tho glass 20
attract the attention of the driver, and
found him SO deaf that we had 70 ak
Vain by signs that we wanted 10 so
slower
Perhaps the driver understood the
sienH-he nodded as though he did-~but
he did not 90 any slower an we were
bumped about most distreesinglg
"A NaI
from the station we struck steep hill,
and as the horses slowed dawn Tor
this We got a breathing spell. The hoQr
of the carriage was loose ana the seats
We're very Wohbly. / wanted 20 60 out
and walk bur IL was raining terribly
and the mud ia the road seemed 9 foot
deep.
when we got 10 the top of the hsii
the dIlNnr nromntly Nhlnped up DIS