The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1907-10-11
The
PROPOSAL

| was as enthusiastic as my lflenuS Sdlu
had been slow before If my deliber-
alton had been characteristic, my ar
dor, once II was aroused, was no less
natural, ! assure you, for the Biddles,
: mother says, have always been a eau
tious race, but steadfast and devoted
when once they have espoused a
cause. And il is but hereditary, l
suppose, that never to this day have |
seen anything remarkable in the fact
! that II took me ten years to make up
my mind to propose TO Sally. 1t did
not take me ten years TO know that
! she was pretty and good, and charm
! ing; but il did take me ten years TO
! be sure that | wanted to marry her
( that, | admit But what is there
amusing in that? Heavens! has not
man a right TO pause and consider SO
important a matter as getting mar
ried? And what right have people to
( link ones name with another's prema-
! turely? Isn't it dreadful?
Well, as | was saying, | had made
up my mind, and | went to see Sally.
! / was full of the subject. Never had
! | felt so much a man before. | was,
don't you know, lifted up. | was ner-
vous, of course. All men are at such
times, | suppose, and ! don't know
] how | managed to get into the house.
! think | did remember to ring. oh.
I'm sure | rang. OF course | did!
But what mean is, that | was in such
a state, don't you know, that | was
! quite unstrung.
Well, Sally came down, as pretty
and darling as ever, and with rose
! IN her hair. She wore her gray crepe
de chine-you know, the one she had
for Mrs. Gales reception, with the
Venetian lace / had never seen her
look better-never! And that very
fact disco9certed me- Still, when |
. make up my mind to anything, you
know, nothing daunts me-nothing!
, 1t is not my way TO let anything inter
fere. So, after the usual salutations,
! said to her:
sally, | have something very i'm
portant to say to you"
And said this to fer mind, in such
way that | supposed she might
guess the nature of my intended con
! fidence, not so much by the words
themselves, as by the-by the mel
lowness with which don't you
j know But, would you believe it,
! she did not dream of what | meant!
! She only laughed, and said:
oh | know: you've come to tell
me about Minis puppies. Elaine told
me yesterday. Aren't you going to
! give me one of them? | think you
/ might"
"Oh, no! 1t wasn't that | came to
ell you; though, of course, you shall
have one if you like. 1t was to tell
you"
And right then a bright idea came
TO me-to turn defeat into victory!
1T was to tell you, Sally" | said, that
you might have all of them-all seven
and Mimi too"
but what would I do with all seven,
and Mimi?"
And she went on laughing at the no
ton till was quite-oh, quite dis
comfted, you know.
Sally" | said, you persist in mis-
constituting my-my intentions"
Why" she replied, 81 thought you
offered me all seven, and Mimi"
so | did, Sally, in a way" | said.
oh" she said, then it was an
Indian gift, was it?"
AN Indian gift?" l repeated, per-
picked.
Yes; a gift with a string to 1t.
And what is the string. Freddie? Do
tell me, / want to know"
Well-would you believe it?-right
then an idea struck me! Another
idea1 | suppose it was love that put
so many new ideas into my head.
Oh! it must have been love. So |
said:
Yes, there is a string to my gift,
Sally: | am the string!'
THE string?" said Sally.
The string" said |. And then pas
sionately: "Oh, Sally don't you com
prehend me? Don't you? Have you
never heard the old, old saying, Love
me, love my dog?"
She was pink all over, and | would
have taken her in my arms really
would had she not said to me:
We'll, ! have already told you,
Freddie, that | might take one of
the puppies, but not all of you,"
She did She used those very words
to me, and was-oh! | was crushed.
don't you know. But | rose to the oc-
casion. | would not let her see my
despair. was determined, at all haz-
ards. to assert my manhood, and so,
with an air that-if | do say twas
quite, quite in the old-time manner,
don't you know, | said:
"My dear Sally, you have told me
that you will accept one of the pup
pies, it is true; but you have not told
me which one"
/ think | smiled Oh! | am sure
smiled as | said those words, and
know | bowed slightly. But ! shall
never, never smile again, for she
said:
"Oh. il doesn't matter in the least
which one you give me, Freddie,
! thpV'rp all cuph daar IfttIa UObbIv