The Saint Paul globe., 1904-08-30
DARES NOT REFUSE HIM
MODERN LOVER SHOOTS WOMAN
WHO WON'T MARRY HIM
If the Girl Says No She Must Be Pre-
pared for Death-Marriages Are
Failures in Many Cases Because the
Girl Is Afraid to Say Him Nay

We hear great deal about the un-
happiness of married people and per-
haps it is due to the fact that when
man asks a girl to have him in these
modern days she is afraid to say no.
If she does he is likely to pull a pistol
out of his pocket, strike a melodra-
matte attitude, shoot her and then him
self If he would begin with himself
no complaints would be made. Let the
man beware who wishes to pay a wom-
an the compliment Of asking her to
marry him, or does SO in a perfume
tory manner while sure she will refuse,
for if the papers are to be believed u
is a dangerous matter to say no to the
modern man. Courtship has taken on
an entirely new phase since this mania
for shooting the girl has become so
popular. If Amelia sees proposal in
Georges eye and he finally gets the
question into words, she says yes so
quickly that it takes his breath away.
Let George not f1atter himself, how
ever, that it is his superior attractions
which have made her smile at him. 1t
is only fear that he may be one Of
those strenuous young men who shoot
on sight.
Time was when a girl looked for
ward to a proposal as. rather a pleas
ant episode, whether he was the right
man or not. But in the year of our
Lord 1904, when the attentions of
George have led up to the important
question for some months, Amelia, in
stead of looking forward with pleasure
to the moment when he shall propose
LI,r4 IL, IT, hr.T. 1ACt
thinner and more ethereal as the aW-
full day approaches, makes all her last
arrangements, leaves her trinkets to
friends writes notes Of farewell and
prepares she knows not for what. Ii
George is eXcitable he may shoot any
way, being much enamored of taking
the center of the stage and having his
picture in the yellow journals. But to
Amelia it is no joke. Life is pleasant,
and she doesn't want to marry George
unless she has to. Alas, she has no
choice, for George informs her that
unless she says yes he will spread his
brains all over the parlor carpet, and
though doubling his ability to accom-
plish that feat, she says yes very
quickly and he takes his hand out of
his back pocket.
This is the simple reason why so
many young couples fail to live hap
PLY ever after. Amelia thinks life
with George is better than no life at
all. But death with George she is not
prepared to face. Of course marriages
arranged this your -hand-or- your
life plan are not exactly made in heav-
en-, and perhaps there may come a day
when Amelia wishes she had allowed
George to shoot.
Now with all the organizing and
unionizing going on pretty young wom-
en- should form some sort of a pro-
tective association which should be
able to get the drop on George before
he has fairly focused Amelia. 1t might
be called The Young Woman's Friend
ly No society" which is a little long,
but has the merit of explaining it's OBJ
ject. 1t could pay for a bodyguard to
surround the members when men with
proposals in their eyes and on the ends
of their tongues are about. Something
like this will have to be done soon If
the younger generation is to be pre-
served. So, girls, if you see man