Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-04-09
WIFE N MAN PROP POSE s
By HELEN ROWLAND

Mno LOOK perfectly calm?" in
 quired Polly, climbing into the wrong side of the sleigh and trying to tuck the laprobe around the dashboard. Because" she went on, beginning to take of her gloves, and then, as she recollected herself, nervously drawing them on again, though you might not suspect 1t, Pm-a little-excited. I've just finished getting proposed to-"
 I gave the check rein a violent jerk that must have insulted horse like Marc Antony.
 "I wouldn't even ask who-," began.
 ooh, you needn't" said Polly. "It was only Bobby Paddington."
 I started. The check rein slipped from my fingers, and let the whip fall with thud into the snow.
 Why, what's the matter?" asked Polly. "It isn't polite to be surprised when girl gets proposed to. Itlooks as if you had thought she couldnt-"
 "Oh, it isn't that" said l. Anybody could get proposed to by Bobby Padding ton-and in leap year."
 "Pooh!" said Polly, as I stepped into the sleigh and tucked the robe around her. Leap year has nothing to do with it-nor Robbie Paddington, either-R 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 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 man to marry her on leap year. or at any other time-that Is, no girl with a particle of common sense or del1cacy."
 "Or womanliness," I declared.
 cor knowledge of men," said Polly.
 "Or breeding"
 "Or experience"
 ''I wonder" said I, 'if any woman ever did use that leap-year privilege"
 Never" said Polly, since she has had the every year privilege of making a man propose to her. It 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 man propose to her Is the difference be- tween using whip and spur. You don't have to whip 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 spur"
 "Oh, see," said I. chuckling to Marc Antony until the sleigh sped over the frozen road; "a proposal is like a hedge. A fellow wants to get over 1t, but he is afraid of what is on the other side. He may land in a tangle-or he may get cold water dousing.'
 ''Or he fancies there might be ditch somewhere"
 "Or trap" suggested, gently.
 Exactly" said Polly, "and that is why it needs listle mental suggestion from the girl to spur him on. If she at- tempts to drive him with whip he balks. But mental suggestion"
 "Thal isn't anything like-hypnotism --is 1t, Polly?"
 ''Well-a iittle," 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 side2" in- Quired.
 'Yes, or tangle," said Polly. "The average man dreads 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 .alls 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 affectionate sym pathy, and that there aren't any ditches 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 doom!" finished tragically.
 "Like Bobb Paddington," Polly gig gled.
 "Oh, Bobby Paddingtoni' remarked with disgust He is just like some fool horses that would take any hedge. If it was brick wall-and always land on their feet. There Is Divine Provi- dence that protects Bobby"
 "I'm very sure you're very uncompli- mentary," said Polly. "And, besides. Bobby Paddington landed right in the ice-cold water this time. refused him -as hard as I could"
 looked down at the demure little bundle of fur beside me, with one curl and nose sticking out of the big col- lar.
 Did you do 1t for my sake, Polly ?' asked softly
 "No,'' said Polly. flor Bobbie's. He needed the lesson. His conceit was something atrocious. Besides, made sort of wager with Kitty Carter" Polly stopped.
 ''Well?" suggested
 "Oh, well-that could-that he should-I mean Oh, don't you under stand, MT. Heavyfeather-by 12 o'clock