Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1906-03-24
LUCKY
THIRTEENTH
BY INA WRIGHT HANSON
copWt0ht, i7J5, by Me- i,uc, ThUipS & Co.
BY INA WRIGHT HANSON

The sky was blue the ocean bluer
and DOrOthy's eyes the faircSt blue of
all. The sand was white. the breeze
caresSing. and Dorothy seemed unusu-
ally susceptible | judged it to be an
auspicouS time to declare my feelings,
so | began:
"DOrothy, dear, have wealth through
no fault of my own, social status ditto
and Il moderately good disposition.
love you. Will you mar
To my surprise, Mistress Dorothy
sprang to her knees, crying. Don't,
don't" and cIappcd her small hand
over my mouth.
VERY well, then. | won't" | said to
the circumstances.
"Oh, but | want you tor was the
next astounding development, while
she dropped down on the sand again,
bowed her head and wept
thought was used to Dorothys
moods, but | realized then that my
knowledge concerning them was small.
AS | didn't know what else to do,
just sat still. Finally she raised her
head from the sanctuary of her hands
and looked at me rcproachfully.
"Oh, George, Eve been waiting a
whole year to hear you say it, and now
why couldn't you have said it differ
entity"
sat up little straightcr. How
should you wish me to approach the
subject" l inquired coldly.
"Of course YOU don't understand,
poor boy" she sighed. pnking back be
hind her pink ear little damp brown
curl II have Il chum at home and
we were always thinking of something
that no one else would. one day she
said. Let's make VOWS So we each
took Il piece of paper and wrote on it
a vow which we were bound to keep
if we We're wcrc-hung for it. NellS
vow was
"Never mind Nclls VOW" | said
"What was yOurSE'
Il vowed | wouldn't marry man
who didn't propose to me in Il way no
other man ever did"
Ever proposed to you?" | asked jeal-
ouSly.
NO, no! Ever proposed to anybody.
l vowed, so | have to keep it. oh,
George, I've just lived to have you say
it in some strange way"
"Theres no law against a fellows
proposing twice, is there!'' | asked.
She looked up eagerly. "Oh, you
haven't said it vet. YOU know. | stop
ped you. ID You Suppofc you could
think of some original Way?'
"Well, I'll try mighty hard But what
fool thing FOR You to do anyway"
Il know it," She acknowledged, with
unusual mcekneSs.
AS our afternoons at Santa Monica
were devoted to the surf. we met again
in front of the bath house and hand in
hand walked toward the Sccthng
breakers. She looked more charming
than ever in her black suit. banded
with scarlet, and a scarlet handkcr-
chief knotted about her small head.
"lIcaycmS. Dorothy how love you,"
| exclaimed as we emerged from our
plunge through the first swell
'And | love YOU too, dear" she muir
INJURED. coloring little. You will find
some way, won't you:"
"lcs, if | have to pick YOU up some
day and run off with YOU"
THAT wouldn't do. Some of the sav.
ages behave that way. 1t isn't the do
ing anyway; it's the asking"
"DOrothy Allen. see that swell COM
ing? When it gets here I'll hold YOU
under it till there isn't a breath left in
your body if you don't say you'll marry
me-"
"It isn't original" she persisted. THE
man Nells engaged to said almost
that"
Darn the man, and Nell. tool" said
viciouSly under my breath. | didn't
try any more that day. but she allowed
me one kiss as we sat on the raft, and
that was something
1t would be Il weariSome task to re
late all the ways in which | tried to
propose to Dorothy that summer. lay
awake nights trying to think of some
wild and WoOlly way to ask her to mar
ry me, only to face bitter defeat by be-
ing told that some other John had said
the same to his Joan. DOrOthy'S knOwl-
edge on the subject seemed prodi%ious
1t would have looked suspicious to me
had she not really felt as bad rs |
did over my inability to be original
The summer was almost gone. A
certain Thursday was to mark DorO-
thy's departure for her New York home
On the Tuesday before we, with gay
Sarty, We're to visit Mount Lowe.
Dorothy's pretty lips read the de-
scriptiOn from the guidebook as we
left Los Angeles and We're borne swift
ly through suburban places toward the
fog wreathed mountains The rest of
the crowd was considerably Oblivious
of us two, so | made bold to interrupt.
Dorothy this has got to end | am
losing my appetite, and | can't sleep
nights. l have tried twelve times. If
l can't find a way to suit you on this
trip am off for Africa or Shanghai
next week. You needn't look incred-
ulous. l am in dead earnest"
Seems as though you might think of