Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-26
POPPING THE QUESTION


The impassloned declarations Of love and
proposals OF marriage as made by the love-
~ young male pieces Of work In the novels
had always impressed the writer hereof as
being most grotesquely overdrawn- He
could not even picture the lovely young
male pieces OF work saying such fool things
to moderately sensible girls. couldn't mag
Inc them Hopping to their knees the better
to make . hit In pressing their suits.
couldn't figure out what they expected to
get by wildly Tapping their arms and tous-
ling up their hair and ciawing the air while
asking their girls what the answer was
going to ba.
Sd the writer hereof instituted some quiet
inquiries among his married friends for the
purpose Of ascertaining whether any of
these idiotfc manifestations, the kind por-
trayed In the novels, had occurred at the
proposing time. Herewith is given the re-
suit of these Investigations, presented in
numbered instances:
Case No. 1.-Young man. head clerk in
hardware store. had been going with girl
for year and half. Took walk with her
one Sunday afternoon.
Cert" he said to her, suddenly, after
they'd been looking at some marked-down
me boost to $35 week last night Guess
we ought to be able to scrabble along on
that. hadn't we?"
Why" replied Cert. quite offhand, "there
are lots of folks living here in Washington,
and living comfortably, on a good deal less
than $'so a week, and f.
Whereupon the date was Immediately set.
Case No. 2.-Young man. junior clerk in
her for about eight months There were
TWO or three others In the field against him,
but he was game enough to take a gam
pier chance They were at a play one
night, and between the first and second acts
he leaned over and said to her:
Annie, where do 1 stand with, you, any
how?"
Now. pul-lease don't get sentimental /"
she replied, archly
But" he persisted I'm getting pretty
anxious to find out. Annie. I don't know
now whether I'm aces or an also ran. You
know where you stand with me, all right,
cont you? Well. wouldn't 1t be only the
where stand with your"
On. don't know that you have any oc-
casion TO worry, she replied and that, of
course was good enough for him The date
was arranged not long after.
case NO BY Dung man, stenographer in
one OF the departments, had been calling
upon her about three times week, taking
ner put Win considerable regularity. and SO
on for period covering about year. He
was sitting on the front steps with her one
evening when she said to him:
Guess who ran away and got married
last week? Clara Gitbizzyr,
That 500" said he. Say. Ethel how
soou on the run are your"
Ihat started something" that Terminated
successfully and the young couple didn't
nave TO run away, either.
Case No. 4-Young LAWYER moro ~ ,o..
briefess, had been quite a frenuant c,IIar
at the nome of wealthy girl for more tina
two years. Good-looking youns fellow and
the girl was handsome. too, in addition to
having the coin. They were mart Of a
ChaDerOn6d box NJ
Inc play depicted a family suddenly
plunged from wealth to comparative pow
erty. NV
without desiring to appear mean or
cruel, he said to her. with the greatest
outspokenness, II wish something of that
kind would happen to you"
What very friendly wishr' she ex-
claimed. why pray?" she added al
though, OF course, she understood him very
well.
Because. then, my DEAR he quickly
made answer, Il wouldn't feel like such an
Internal muff If ! asked you to share what
have with me-.
"Oh, is that it?" said she, gazing very
sweetly INTO his eyes We'll YOU know
very well. Jack that I should never con-
slider you a muff, as you say so horribly,
under any circumstances, no matter what
you did; and 1t is mean of you to reproach
me for not being poor. can't help 1t. can
I?'
This looked good enough to the young
the time before the end of that week
Case No. o.-Young man. another lawyer,
had been calling and sending her flowers
and taking her out pretty often for some
thing less than a year. One evening they
We're taking car ride when they passed a
tidy apartment house in course of construc-
ton and almost completed.
Saw the plans of those flats a few days
ago." he said, nonchalantly. They re
daisies-best arranged I ever saw. Burlap
walls and all that. Mighty cheap. at that
only $40 per for the best Of en-
"Burlap walls you say?" she remarked,
dreamily. Il just love burlap walls in flats;
don't you?"
Sure" said he Want to get off at the
next corner and come back and take look
at these fats?"
'T don't mind" SAID she
So they got off the car at the next corner
and went through the fats, and while they
were standing in one of the cunnin' dining
rooms he walked right over to her, put his
arm around her waist and said to her:
Hun, how about US taking one of these
flats? You know how badly want you"
She didn't take his arm away. 1t was all
right. They fixed upon day then and
Case No. 6.-Gay bachelor of thirty-six,
rather confirmed in 1t, had been captivated
by the good breeding, high character and
strong sense, as well as beauty, of his
typfst Made up his mind that he'd like TO
marry her. Had it doped out that she liked
him fairly well. but wasn't very certain
about her having him, in spite OF his pretty
moderate looks and his considerable bust
ness prosperity. One day he touched the
electric button that summoned her into his
private Office for dietation. She appeared
prom pity notebook in hand.
Err didn't call for you for a'dictation
today, Miss Hitkeys," he said to her. ris-
ing from his seat and bowling to her most
deferentially as he placed chair for her.
81 want to ask you If you'll marry me-"
She appeared overwhelmed, naturally
enough but she didn't say anything about
1t being $50 sudden She respected the
man and more than liked him. She said
'yes' before leaving the private office, and
they're one of the happiest pairs in WASH
ingtop.
Case No. livery young man of twenty
one or So son of well-to-do folks, had been
violently in love with western girl, visiting
his sisters for a whole month. Case with her
about the same so far as the love part of II
went He caught her in the sitting room
on the day before she was to return to her
home in the west. All the rest of the folks
we're out or upstairs. He walked over TO
whore she was standing by the mantei and
grabbed her.
Say, Gladys" he breathed hard into her
ear, I'm never going to let you go home
until you promise to marry me, see? NOW.
YOU promise me right now. Let's get en-
gagged I want you and I'm going to have
you Dye want mel mean. will you have
me?"