The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1903-05-14
Beating About
The Bush
[Original.i

[Originali
"Why didn't ye ever marry, Mr..
Parker? If ye'd "a taken wife ten
years ago ye'd "a had nice family
now instead of livin' alone on yer fine
farm
| Il came very near marryin' onct
Sally. mismanaged the thing at the
start"
''How's that?"
81 was workin' fur Mr.. Noble at the
time, and one day he said to me, says
he: Parker, I wish ye'd git married,
cause woman would be handy about
the place. l don't mean servant; one
to call on occasionally for job
Il was jest a-startin' out to trim the
hedge and stood with the shears in my
hand thinkin' on what he'd said.
reckon that's a good idee, Mr.
Noble tole him, AN idee that's oc-
Cured to me quite frequent of late
Fact is, thurs a young gal been
thinkin' of askin' to marry me fur some
| time
"'Have We done any courtin'?' he
asked.
why, no. hain't no good at
courtin' nohow. Anybody marries me
ii hev to do it without courtin'.'
| We'll, Parker, in some cases where
practical women are concerned I don't
know but it's just as well to tell yer
story offhand as to beat about the
| bush. Who's the girl?
1.-The young schoolteacher that start
| ed in last fall-Miss Field
"'What!' he says, surprised like
Miss Field?
Yes says. Dye think she's too
good fur me?'
"She's the one to decide that, Parker.
1t wouldn't be right fur me to express
an opinion. The only way We 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
try my luck with the schoolteacher.
So puts on my store clothes and
starts roun' to Deacon Weeks, where
she was boardin'. The twilight was
still on, and she was a-sittin' on the
| porch all alone Thur was a smell O.
roses in the 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 a welcomin' smile.
"How d. do Mr.. ParkerT she said,
with the sweetest voice in the world
Il stood kind O awkward-like and to
| help me on she asked who I'd come to
| see and when l 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,
l begun.
Miss Field says, Il was a-talkin'
with Mr.. Noble bout my takin'
wife. He thinks one d be handy bout
the place He advised me to go right
| to tic girl | wanted and tell her.
| tole him that you was my choice, but
that thought you might be too good
| fur me- He said you was the one to
| decide that
"Fust off she turned sort O pale; then
the color come rushin' up into her
cheeks IS if a cock he'd been turned on
| inside her Gurus, I thought, how
| some wimnen III be taken aback by
anything student. After ALL it might
| "a been better to "a done a little pre-
v'us beatin' bout the bush.
"'I hope 1 haint said nothin' that
I shouldn't "a said,,' l stammered.
"'Not at ALL, she answered me, gath
erin herself together You have paid
me very high compliment, but con
fess I don't like Mr.. Mobiles taking it
upon himself to instruct you in the af-
fair
| "Pm sorry l 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 handy person, that
previous
Il thought We said Mr.. Noble he'd
nothin' to 60 with it,"
You're right; so he hasn't. Well,
then, while l feel very much compli-
mented, must decline your PROPOSE
ton. | shall always think Of you kind
ly and remember how you have hon
ored me-"
Then I went away l 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. the place tole
him I'd done the job. He pulled in and
asked me all about it. repeated what
we said as well as | could remember
and tole him I'd made mistake by
| bringin' him into it,
perhaps you did, Parker he said
after listenin' to it all mighty interest