Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-11-03
BEATING ABOUT THE BUSH

JeO naO nice Iamlly now uSteao
Of llvin' alone on yer fine farm"
Il came very near marryin' onct,
Sally. mismanaged the thing at the
start"
"How's that?"
II was workin' fur Mr. Noble at the
time, and one day he said to me, says
he: Parker. 1 wish ye'd git married.
cause a woman would be handy about
the place. don't mean servant; one
to call on occasionally for job
81 was Jest a-startin' out to trim
the hedge and stood with the shears
In my hand thinkin' on what he'd said.
"T reckon that's a good idee, Mr..
Noble" tole him, an idee that's oc-
CURED to quite frequent of late
Fact is. thurs a young gal been
thinkin' of askin' to marry me fur
sometime
Have yoG done any courtin'? ?" lie
asked
why. no. hain't no good at court
in nohow. Anybody marries me II
hev to do It without courtin''
well. TArker, in some cases wtIeIo
practical women are concerned don't
know but It's just as well to tell yer
story offhand as to beat about the
bush. Who's the girl?
The young scEoolteacher that
started in last fall-Miss Field
Whatr he says, surprised like,
Miss Field?'
Yes l says. Dye think she's too
good fur me?'
She's the one to decide that Par
ker. 1t wouldn't be right fur me to
express an opinion. The only way re
can do is to put the case to her and
let her tell We herself
'He went into the house lookin' sort
o. queer, and l worked on the hedge
all day. Then evenin' I concluded to
try my luck with the schoolteacher.
So l puts on my store clothes and
starts roun' 10 Deacon Weeks, where
she was board.n The twilight was
still on, and she was a sittin' on the
porch all alone Thur was a smell o.
roses in tie air and a half moon in
the sky. She was a-readin' a book,
but when she see me she laid it down
and give me q welcomin' smile
How d. do, Mr.. Parker?' she said,
= with the sweetest voice in the world.
II stood kind o. awkward-like, and
to help me on she asked who I'd come
to see. and when tole her I'd come
to see her she asked me to sit down.
Then. rememberin' what Mr.. Noble
said about not beatin' round the bush,
/ begun.
Miss Field said, I was a-talkin'
with Mr. Noble bout my takin' a
wife. He thinks one ID be handy bout
the place. lie advised me to go right
to the CIR. l wanted and tell her. /
tole him that you was my choice, but
that 1 thought you might be too good
fur me. He said you was the one to
decide that
"Fust of she turned sort O. pale;
then the color come rushin up into
her cheeks. Gurus 1 thought, how
some women'll be taken aback by any
thing student After all, it might "a
been better TO "a done little preY'us
beatin' bout the bush.
81 hope l hain't said nothin' that
shouldn't "a said,' l stammered.
Not at ALL she answered me, gath
erin herself together. You have paid
me a very high compliment, but I con-
fess 1 don't like Mr. Mobiles taking It
upon himself to instruct you In the
affair
I'm sorry I mentioned him.
There's no harm done. After all.
Mr.. Noble has nothing to do with the
matter; nothing at all. You have made
me a proposition and are entitled to
an answer. You can tell Mr. Noble.
who has thought proper to attempt to
secure me for a handy person, that a
previous
al thought We said Mr.. Noble he'd
nothin' to do with 1t
You're right; so he hasn't. Well.
then. while 1 feel very much commit
mented, l must decline your PROPOSE
ton. | shall always think of YOU
kindly and remember how you have
honored me-
Then l went away. I was dead GER
tain that I'd made her mad by bringin'
in Mr.. Noble. After all. that was beat |
IN about the bush The next mornin'
as he was drivin' out o. tn place I
tole him I'd done the job. He pulled
in and asked me all about 1t. 1 re-
peated what we said as. we'll as l
could remember and tole hi1c I'd made
a mistake by bringin' him lnso It.
Perhaps you did. Parker ne sid.
after listenin' to it all mighty interest,".
ed, but since the lady has a previous
attachment the. would have beaten
you anyway
HE drov, of. lookin' mighty glum. |
Fact Is he seemed TO take my failure
as bad s II he'd made 1t himself. I'd
seen 'em more or less together that
spring. but never ag'in till the next
fall Then l see 'em walkin' down by
the river side. Mr. Noble was a-bend-
in over her and talkin' mighty earn |
est. while she was lookin' the other !
way.
He's tryin' TO undo what he done |
fur me as we'll as himself l said. |
'Mebbe he'll fix it up. and I'll have |
another chance. Next time, you bet. !
l won't so beatin' bout the bush
That winter l left Mr. Noh'-, har-
In bought farm. and didn't see him |
or Miss Field for two years. Then 1 |
found 'em married.
Now. I've tole you how Numbered |
once before 1 ain't gcin' to beat bout
the bush again. Sallie. viii We marry |
meT'
Yes, will Indianapolis Sun.