Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1917-10-29
me "a "a IA n Ina "a "a n IA Ha N,
s.sPEGGYS PROPOSAL I. .
BY E. HOLLAND.
" "a nnRAn IA IA MIA IA W


beyy Of veranda beauties as Mar
garet Randall joined them.
"Offer Of what?"
ooh, gracious, girls, tell herr"
"Why, the captain has offered,
began one Of the damsels.
"You mistake, my dear young lady,"
interrupted the captain. II offer moth
ing. But I have signified my willing
ness to consider any or all offers made
me. You see, Miss Peggy" said he.
turning toward the late arrival, who.
although far from being beautiful,
ruled them by right Of brightness, her
wit and her inexhaustible resources as
an entertainer. II am disguised with
the way you young ladies are neglect
ing your leap year advantages, and
will wager that not one Of you has
made an offer Of marriage this year.
Have you now?"
"Nothing but the awful dread of be-
ing refused has deferred us, captain"
answered Miss Randall. ''Think of our
feelings, when after laying our hearts
and fortunes at your feet you refuse to
listen."
'That's Just the contingency have
been providing for. The very point we
were discussing when you Joined US
and I said that to every girl l refused
this year I would give a jersey COW.
I've a fine drove of them, you know,
and it's no more than right that there
should be some little consolation prize
offered"
"That's not so bad; but great heav-
ems, captain!'' exclaimed one OF the
younger men. "Have you the least idea
of what you are liable to get into"
The group on the veranda broke up
and Peggy, together with a half dozen
of the young people, went outside to
arrange for the theatricals. leaving to
the rest the discussion Of the eccentric
bachelors latest.
The end Of the season came and
found the captain still open to engage
ments and he conflded to one of the
young ladies that he was thinking Sc
riously of settling down lest he might
make the mistake of walking clear
through the wood and then at last pick
ing up crooked stick.
"You accept whatever offers tonight,
captain" said she mischievously. 1t
was the night Of the last dance of the
season.
Captain Nicely, who was not dane
ing man, promenaded the veranda with
combination of blonde hair and pink
muslin on his arm.
"Well, Peggy, why don't you begin !;
surely you have heard this thing done
times enough to Know now!
She had dropped his arm and the
Joke as soon as they were out OF signt
of the group on the veranda, but ne m
sisted on keeping up the conversation
as it had started out.
Miss Randall was generally regarded
as young woman without vuiner-
able point: stone-hearted in fact. In
reality she was girl Of unusually hlgh
ideals and probably because she had
so much to give she expected mucn IN
return. Not perfection but her IDEAL
If manhood was noble one and Cap
toin Nelly at times seemed to her to
fulfill it more than any man she had
yet known.
It always seemed to her that she
never appeared to such poor advantage
as when with him, for then all the
ability as a conversationalist. with
which she was credited, seemed to de-
sert her and she felt that to him she
must appear q most uninteresting per-
son.
Now she dared not let him see that
she was afraid to go on with the farce
so in the gayest manner she besan
again just as they came upon seat
among the trees into which the cap
tain deliberately threw himself. leav-
ing her standing: "My adorable James
isn't that the way they usually be-
gin?'
"Very good" was the answer. "but l
positively refuse to listen to any pro-
posal unless the sutton gets down on
his knees"
"You base man. you evidently mean
to luxuriate in the situation, but can {
60 down on my knees here. I'll soil
my Dress"
Captain Nicely gravely spread his
pocket handkerchief on the ground IN
front of him and imperatively mo-
toned her to kneel, and that she did,
and in the most approved voice OF sup
pressed emotion began:
"My adorable james; while deeply
conscious of my great unworthiness--''
Don't mention it,
81 must utter the words that have
so long trembled upon my lips-I-l-."
"Well, utter them"
MAY 1 dare believe that the feel
ing entertain for you is in measure
reciprocated, and that at no distant
time / may have the unutterable hap
piness of calling my own one whose
welfare so entirely fills my soul and
whose slightest wish will ever be my
law?
"You may" gravely answered the be-
1oyed ono and he bent forward to raise