The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-02-06

opposite 10 me. Sreetinfs were ex.
changed ! looked about No one was
near. Here was my chance. Brayely
began:
| IL love"
There stopped. The "you"-simple,
easy little word-wOuld not for some
reason come out. II stuck in my throat
well! What do you loveT' he in.
quired.
The what" irritated me. Was ever
such incorrigible densenessf A woman
would have had the sense 10 say
whom" as a matter Of course But
he had invited a neuter, and a neuter
he should have, If only to punish him.
II love-hyacinths," ] said, Grossly.
Yet even here there would have been
n way out had he possessed an ounce
Of perception. lie had only 10 say, as
| a woman In like case would have said:
Happy hyaclnths"
Then should have remarked
81 always associate you with hya-
cInths."
But what do you think the Opaque
| creature did sayf
Don't care for 'em myself? Smell
| too strong"
II was really impossible 10 do any
thing with such a perfect miracle OF
0btuseness. SO my second chance was
lost.
However, n reformer who gives in
after two failures Is no reformer. !
must try again. ! must he still more
simple; still more elementary in my
language After all. the II love you.
VIII you wed meT' formula was what
logicians would call complex PROPOSE
tion-a combination OF the categorical
IL love you" which In view Of what
followed was really supcrnuous. /
would only retain the essential por-
ton, viz. the interrogatiye "Will you
wed meF
Four plain words OF one syllable.
Surely, these admitted Of no ambiguity
or misapprehcnsion.
Our next encounter was In Piccadilly,
on the north side, near DcvonShirc
House. was walking west, he east.
We met face TO face. | held out my
hand. He took It. Now was the time.
made the fateful plunge.
"Will you"
Would you believe IL? AT that SUI
preme moment, by the cruellest stroke
Of luck (surcly the stars In their courses
were fighting against mel, ] swallowed
the wrong way, and had violent chok-
ing fit which lasted for two minutes.
II was too exasperating. TO be put
off-just at the critical pOint-by
silly little affair Of the windpipe. or
course. couldn't complete my sentence
after that 1t would have been like
finishing ones best story when one
has been interrupted in the middle.
SO when Charles Wilton. having
waited in polite sympathy until | had
done choking, remarked:
"You were about TO ask me"
"'To come To tea tomorrow after
noon" | replied, feeling obliged to
say something.
with the greatest pleasure he re-
joined.
When | returned home found-to
my satiSfaction-that mamma would be
out the following afternoon.
IL shall see him alone. And this
time | will succeed" said | to myself,
setting my teeth rcsolutely.
| should have succeeded, too. There
Is no doubt about that. But an un-
looked for accident again baf'ied me.
Before I had time to say a word
Charles suddenly exclaimed
81 sayl By Jove! don't you know"
Those were his precise words
Neither more nor less. Not much in
them. Is there? But somehow, like
Mcrcutios wound. they served. He
took me in his arms
IL was like leaving out all the proof
in one of Euclid's props" and jump.
ing straight from the"fypothesis to the
O. Il. II.
But the q. r.. n. was reached? True.
Yet see in what n position IL placed
me. 1t destroyed forever my prospects
as practical reformer in the field of
matrimonial selection could not
propose To Charles. being already en-
gagged TO him. nor could l Gor the
same rcasom decently propose to any
one else
And. on thinking the matter over. |
have come to the conclusion that. in
the present backward condition OF hui
man affairs, my scheme OF reforma-
ton is. after all, premature.
So long as man can propose intel
ligibly by merely eNclaiming: II say!
by Jove, don't you know" whereas
woman may make remarks ten thou
sand times more suggestive, and yet
fail to suggest anything; so long. I
say. rs this irrational state Of things
obtains, the female proposer Is simply
handicapped out of IT, 1t is iniquitous.
But IL is the fact. | therefore advise
my sisters. like wise women. to accept
the fact-and the male proposer
Truth.
SIC BORE RIFLES AND SMALL.
The Small is No Doubt Eetter For All
Round purposes.