Gilpin observer., 1915-12-30
Pines PROPOSAL
BY JANE OSBORN.

manager of the furniture firm of Pins.
Pines & Noteworthy was saying to
Dave Pines, who had fingered after
Miss Drew on what he referred to in
his note beforehand as pressing
matter Of business"
you sure did give me surprise
Why, I'd no more idea that you had
taken fancy to me than that-than
that we'd sell out of refrigerators in
February. If the Morning Bugle was
to send over here with the statement
that we could double our Sunday ad-
vertising space for the same rate as
we pay now wouldn't have been more
surprised. Give me time, Dave. When? !?
oh, let me see. Suppose you wait till
after Sunday. I'll take next Sunday to
dope it out. No, l can't possibly tell
you any sooner. 1 have thought so
little about getting married. Ill have
to drop around to see my friends that
have gone and done it and see what
they have to say about it. Drop in
next Monday at about this time, if
you're still interested. And, whatever
l decide, you and I'll always be good
friends, won't we?"
"Say, that was kind o. clever copy,
II do say it, and that idea of yours to
leave the chairs and tables on that spe-
cial sale out in the rain for two nights
beforehand Just did the business. If
they had come over in the Mayflower
fhnx 1I,,,t lol- cd
real thing. Oh, that's so, it's Monday
No, hadn't forgotten-had it down on
my desk pad, but 1 guess I'd have re-
membered any way.
Tell you my answer? Well, don't be
impatient. Take it slowly, Dave, and
then you'll see why I've decided as |
have. You'll understand better. You
know l wanted to handle the PROPOSE
tion squarely. AS l told you it wasn't
Just an ordinary Will you marry me?
when David Pine asked red-head Peg
Drew to be junior partner. You know
l appreciate the compliment.
so, started OFF Sunday morning to
see the girls I went to school with
Aggie Dayton, Pearl Hite, Julie Saun-
ders and Moll Braun. They've all
married and thought they'd give me
the dope 1 was after. And l guess
got it.
well, Aggie-I went to her house
first. Knew she'd be at home. When
a woman has six children and a good
for-nothing husband she doesn't stand
much chance of being out on Sunday
morning. l was out of breath by the
time l got there. four flights up and
such racket! Youngest was cutting
its teeth and oldest was yelling be-
cause he'd just had to have his baby
teeth pulled out. She was mighty glad
to see me, though. She hadn't seen
any of the girls for years. You know
how it is when girl needs friend
she usually can't find any. l didn't
have to ask her how her marriage had
panned out. l tried to cheer her up,
though. She had been a good house
didn't try this new game Of economic
independence, if her husband didn't
earn enough to get out and earn it her.
self. But how could a girl like Aggie
get out with six children hanging at
her apron strings?
We'll, then l went to see Pearl Hite,
and do you know / was almost scared
to go in. Those buffers in plum-col-
ored uniforms always did make me
feel shy. Pearl sent down by her
French maid for me to come up. She
was having her coffee in her boudoir
and, do you know, l hadn't been there
ten minutes before she burst out cry
ing and told me all about it. She's
miserable. Husbands gone off with q
vaudeville tango queen and it's all they
can do to keep the scandal out of the
papers.
Next place went was jules, and
do you know it wasn't till l had
reached her apartment that I knew
she'd left her husband, though she said
1t had been in all the papers. 1t wasn't
that he had done anything. She
just couldn't get along with him; says
that for a woman of independence and
an 'emancipated intellect marriage Is
a state Of bondage. She said it was
sitting her soul. So now she is study
ing law and says she's going to devote
herself to making divorce easier in the
state. Eventually she said, marriage
will be like any other contract, binding
only so long as both parties agree
What about Moll? Oh, didn't tell
you? Poor thing! She seems to have
been happy, but you know she married
a German-Otto Braun was his name
and when the first reservists were
called out he joined his colors in the
fatherland, and it was only last month
after all these weeks of anxiety that
she learned that he had been killed in
the trenches. So she's gone over to
Berlin to join the Red Cross to try to
forget her own misery. Poor Moll!
And she used to be so light-hearted.
"You are not going, Dave? Why.
you look kind o. disgruntled. You
1np't thipL vou,II for v,,u o,,,uou