Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-08-04
WHEN MAN
PROPOSE 5
BY HELEN ROWLAND


recollected herself, nervously DRAWN
them on again, though you might nc
2 suspect it. Tina little-excited. Nv
! just finished getting proposed to-"
! | gave the check rein a violent Jerl
that must have insulted a horse lik
, Marc Antony.
Il wouldn't even ask who" began
"Oh. you needn't" said Polly. 'Ttw
! only Bobby Paddington."
| started. The check rein slippet
from my fingers, and lei the whip fal
with a thud into the snow.
Why, what's the matter?" asket
Polly. ut isn't polite to be surprised
when a girl gets proposed TO. Itlooks a.
ii you had thought she couldn't"
"0h, il isn't that" said l. Anybody
could get proposed TO by Bobby Padding
ton-and in leap year"
"Poohl" said Polly, as | stepped into
the sleigh and tucked the robe around
her Leap year has nothing to do with
it-nor Bobbie Paddington, eitser-if a
girl has really made up her mind, Leap
year merely gives her privilege which
a woman can take whenever she likes.
It's like the kiss under the mistletoe, en-
tirely a joke. You wouldn't dare kiss
any girl under the mistletoe whom you
wouldn't dare kiss anywhere else. And
no girl would think of asking a man to
marry her on leap year, or at any other
time-that is, no girl with particle Of
common sense or delicaey."
or womanliness. / declared.
"0r knowledge Of men, said Polly.
"or breeding"
"Or experience"
81 wonder" said /, IF any woman
ever did use that heap-year privilege
Never" said Polly, "since she has
had the every year privilege of making
man propose to her, II would have
been so very unnecessary. Any woman
who uses a little tact and sets out TO
can get proposal The difference be-
tween proposing herself and making a
man propose TO her IS the difference be-
tween using whip and spur You don't
have to whip a horse-that is. horse
worth having-do you? But you do
often have TO spur him when you come TO
jump. A man is like horse; he hates
whip but he minds a spur"
"oh. see" said |, ehuckling to Marc
Antony until the sleigh sped over the
frozen road; "a proposal is like a
hedge. A fellow wants to get over it. |
but he is afraid Of what is on the other
side. He may land in tangle-or he |
may get a cold water dousing."
"or he fancies there might be ditch |
somewhere"
"Or trap" suggested, gently.
Exactly" said Polly, and that is
why it needs little mental suggestion
from the girl to spur him on. If she at.
tempts to drive him with a whip he
balks. But mental suggestion
THAI isn't anything like-hypnotism
is it, Polly?"
"Well-a little" acknowledged Polly.
IT'S making somebody think some
thing that isn't So"
Making him think that there isn't
cold water on the other side?" | in
quired
Yes, or tangle," said Polly. 1.-THE
average man breads getting tangled up
worse than he does plunging into cold
water. But if you can hide all the cords
OF binding engagement and all the
bonds of matrimony, or can make them
look like garlands, or cover them with
silk and can persuade him that a pro-
posal isn't hedge at all, but bower of
roses that he can slip over without any
discomfort, and that the water on the
other side couldn't possibly be cold. but
just warm tears of affecionate SYM
PATTY, and that there aren't any bitches
In which to be entombed alive, or any
traps in which to be caught, and then
can make him believe that you don't
care whether he takes leap or not"
he will go pell-mell on to his dooml"
finished tragieally. l.
Like Bobb Paddington." Polly gig.
gled.
oh, Bobby Paddingtoni" remarked
with disgust He is Just like some
fool horses that would take any hedge.
4 IT was brick wall--and always land
IN their feet. There is a Divine Provi-
dence that protects Bobby"
I'm very sure you're very uncompli-
nentary," said Polly And, besides
Bobby Paddington landed right in the
Ice-cold water this time. refused him
AS hard as | could"
looked down at the demure little
bundle of fur beside me, with one curl
and nose sticking out of the big coll
ar.
Did you do it for my sake, Polly?"I
asked softly.
No. said Polly, for Boobies. He
needed the lesson. His coneeit was
atrocious. Besides, / made
sort Of wager with Kitty Carter"
Polly stopped.
''Well?" l suggested.
"Oh, well-that could-that he
Il