Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1907-11-22
HOW MEN
PROPOSE
The Amateur Sociologist
Reports on His Investigations.

II - a. Adut Dl Lit lyftl9 gOtl5
male pieces Of work in the novels had
always impressed me as being gro
teaquely Oyerdrawn. / could not pic
tufe the lo~cly young male pieces Of
works saying such things to girls
who were not insane.
so I instituted such quiet inquiries
among my married friends for the
purpose Of ascertaining whether any
of these idiotic manifestations hal
happened to them at their mating
time. an giving you the result Of
these investigations.
The first man / tackled was the
head clerk in crockery store and
year and half when it happened
One Sunday afternoon he took a walk
WITT her.
'Aggia,' he said to her after they'd
been looking at some marked down
refrigerators in a furniture store win
dow, the old man boosted my pay to
30 a week last night. Guess We ought
to be able to scrabble along on 80
week. hadn't we?
Wen, ! should say, was Aggie's
ofihand reply. There are thousands.
of folks in New York who live mighty
comfortably on half of so a week.
and
And the date of that wedding was
Immediately arranged.
Next man, clerk in an insurance Of
fcc, had been going with her fOr
about eight months. There were two
or three others in the field against
him. but he was game enough to take
a gamblers chance They were at a
show one night and between the first
and second acts he leaned over to her
and said:
Say, Hazel. where do I stand with
you anyhow
Now, pullease. Jim, don't get sen
time1,al,' she replied.
But rel he persisted. I'm get
ting pretty anxious to find out, you
know. ] don't know now whether I'm
aces or an also ran.
oh. l dat know that you have
any occasion to Worry was her re-
ply. and that, of course. was enough
for him. The date was fixed a couple
of evenings later.
Third friend of mine whom I
tackled On this investigation was q
shorthand man in q brokers office.
and he'd been calling on her about
three times a week, taking her out.
too, with considerable regularity, for
a period covering about a year. One
evening he was sitting on the front
steps with her when she said to him:
say, Charlie. guess who ran away
and got married last week? Edith
StartsomethingH
THAT so? said he Well, say,
Ethel, how good on the run are
YOU?
Thus it was fixed.
My fourth informant was a young
awyer-briefless at that-who'd been
d frequent caller at the home of a
wealthy girl for two years. Good
looking chap. and the girl was there
with the looks. too. in addition to hay
ing the coin One night they formed
part of a chaperoned box party at Il
play. The play was about a family
suddenly plunged from wealth to pow
er,y.
Dye know Kate, he'd said to
her, without desiring to appear mean
or cruel, wish something of that
sort would happen to you
What 4 very friendly wish. was
her reply. Why, pray? she added, al
though. of course. She understood him
perfectly well.
Because then. my dear he very
quickly made answer I wouldn't feel
like such an internal muf if asked
you to share the little have with
me-.
80, is that it?' she inquired. gazing
enderly into his eyes. Well. You
know very we'll Ed, that I should
never consider you a muff under any
circumstances, no matter what you
lid; and it is mean of you to re-
,roach me for not being poor. can't
help it, can ~
This looked good enough to my
riend the young lawyer, and it was.
They'd decided upon the date before
he end of that week.
Fifth man I asked was another
awyer, and he'd been calling and
ending her candy and flowers and
aking her out right often for nearly
twelvemonth One evening they
5ere taking a car ride when they
assed a tidy apartment house in
curse of construction and nearly com
leted
Saw the plans of those fats a
sw days ago, he said to her non
They're deisies-best ar
lnged l ever saw. Burlap walls and
D that Mighty cheap at that--only
80 a month for the best of EN-. ana
lere is an elevator, too.
- just love red burlap for the din
g room of a fiat, don't you2' was
sr reply.
That was good enough for him.
I'd he filed his caveat then and
ere.
ssT tbs,ty oopol,,do5 ~.