Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-12-25
IS GETTING A PROPOSAL A
kNACk?

Love thee? Thou canst not ask Of me
So freely as l fain would give;
It's woman's great necessity
To love 50 long as she shall live;
Therefore, II thou dost lovely prove,
I cannot choose but give thee love!
The timid young girl who is always
finding herself a wallhower at little
social affairs which she attends 10
wont to believe that there certainly
must be some knack in other girls get
ting so many beaux.
She can see that she Is quite al
fair as they. When young men call
upon her she does her best to enter
tain them. They bid her adieu. asking
the privilege Of calling again. But
they seldom, If ever. avail themselves
of her permission. &. Yet these same
young men cali upon other girls who
do not lack callers every evening. In
fact, their parlor is full of beaux. Ev.
cry young man admires and is attract
ed to them. They do not lack mar
riage proposals, ....., ~.
The girl who Is not so fortunate
looks on with chagrin and wonder
ment. She ia too proud to talk over
her grievance with her girl friends.
It rankles In her mind how strenuous
were her efforts to have him pass .
pleasant evening. She did most all OF
the talking, telling him Of the latest
books she had read; repeating the
latest poems, played and sapg for him.
RECALLED him with q luncheon that
might be almost considered dinner.
After all those hours she had striven
to make so bright and entertaining
he had not seemed to regard 1t worth
while to come again.
Before he had put in an appearance
her mother had said: BE animated.
Nothing a man detests SO much al
dreary subjects" Her spinster aunt
put in: I'm my young days man re.
spected a girl who could sit down at
an organ and sing hymn such as
MY Days Are Gliding Swiftly By or
Nearer, My God, to Thee" Auntie
is Immediately silenced by the girls
elder sister, who whispers in her ear:
"Tilnes have changed since then. I'm
sorry to say young fellows nowadays
want to hear jolly, rollicking songs Of
ragtime order, we will say. I've been
married twice. kept both suitors
roaring with laughter. They thought
me A jolly good fellow and enjoyed
coming. Almost before they knew 1t
they had popped the question while
in this merry mood"
THE way to a mans heart Is
through his stomach" suggested her
dependent cousin, adding: I'LL be the
cook" This was one word for the
girls benefit and two for herself.
1t IL little wonder that the girl who
has to listen to this advice finds her
nerves pitifully upset by the time the
young man arrives. She tries to ride
all these hobbies, and makes 9 freak
Of herself in the young mans eyes.
He has no wish to repeat the call. Tho
only knack, II it be so called, in lead.
ing a man up to a proposal, is. for .
girl to just be natural. Such girls
do not give a man an impression that
they are putting themselves out to en-.
terrain him. They let him do his full
share of the chatting. e. ;
II 1t is a pleasant evening and he
suggests a little stroll, she makes no
ado about slipping on her hat and
jacket and Is ready to sally forth with
him. She lets him see that he Is not
the only one who appreciates her
society. BY not straining her nerves
to be pleasant she charms him. When
mans heart is touched he proposes
MARRIAGE ar1s-a