Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-11

one father who falls back on the alarm
clock when caller overstays the prescribed
hour and. according to the comic papers.
that partially clad parent is legion who
yells from the top of the stairs: It's high
time TO go homer or through a crack In
the parlor door. asks. in a stage whisper:
Daughter. is that young man ever going?'
Most OF these methods of recalling the
young man a-wooing back to mundane things
are indirect and cannot be compared with
the one employed by father who gave
away his fourth and last daughter a year
ago this June.
the hour two or three times, the next time
he came around 70 the house the head of
it would drop into the parlor in the course
OF the evening, and after putting the
young man thoroughly at his ease, proceed
to say something after this fashion, in his
bluff. eood-natured way:
=" DO you know. Mr. So-and-So my girls
are getting mighty lazy lately?
THE caller would make some sort of dis
claimer.
"'Oh. yes but they are. and fear that
you are partly to blame.
II? Why
well. Margaret. here. didn't get up cor
breakfast the morning after the evening
you were here last.
Confusion on the part of the young man.
bushes on the cheeks of Margaret; hearty
laughter by the father: then from him:
Pretty hard to get down to work the
day after fellows been up till L or 1.
isn't it?'
"a nod and a stammer from the young
man.
Yes. know it is the father would so
on. Tried it when l was going around TO
sec the girls. Saw | was causing the girls
to lose their beauty sleep, and that was
mighty hard on the girls.
More laughter on the part of the parent.
then hearty handshake for the night; and
ever after the young man would see to II
that he took his departure at a reasonable
hour. AS far / know there was no bad
feeling stirred up by this fathers method.
At any rate, I've already said. all his
four daughters are happily married, and
that's pretty good proof that he didn't drive
away the young men.
Far be II from me to say what is the
proper hour for a young man to make his
adieu.
when their eldest daughter was being
wooed by many men the Henrys insisted
that all leave at 10 O'Clock. When It came
the second daughters turn to receive at
tention the parents had so far revised their
views to permit her callers to put OF
the painful moment until 1890. And when
the third daughter only was left the hour
was raised to IL. and not much attention
was given to what time her callers did fin
ISL saying good night.
'On the other hand. there was the case
OF the HenryS nefghbor, Jones' HIS eldest
daughter was engaged to young man who
could not come to see her oftener thar once
a month, as he lived in another town some
distance away. But, though he had only
two evenings at a visit-Saturday and Sua-
day-sharp at $3.50 o'clock he would have
to take his leave.
perhaps the hardest problem that par
entS have to decide in regard to daughters
and beaus is that of the hours they shall
keep. Some pessimists undoubtedly hold
that the hardest problem is to pick out the
decent fellows but it strikes me that the
average young man is a pretty clean sort
of chap. and the average young woman
won't have anything to do with any other
kind. And there may be others who hold
that parents are most put to it TO bring
about suitable matches for their daughters.
Well, all that's necessary to say about
that is that most matches in which parents
figure prominently turn out TO be nofori-
ously unsuitable. girls head is the best
judge of her own heart. If it were not so
we'd never hear of the girl who lets her
heart triumph over her better judgment. 1t
is the exception, always, which Is the
source of gossip and news.
Whenever a beau puts in an appear
ance," concluded the married man, they
are wise parents who have it ever before
them that woman was made to be man
telpmate; that the whole world woos. and
woos INCREASINGLY; that, while 1t is easy 10
break a colt, it's next to impossible to 10
anything with young heart that does not
belong to you; and that most people are
happier married than SINGLE including
themselves