Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1917-02-01

dressed in the dark before now, since
one Of 'em suddenly started rollin'
up on me before I'd got into bed, and
scared the wits out of me. She'll be
askin' me to let her give the furnace
a sponge bath next. I believe she'd
use tooth powder on the inside of a
boiled egg, IL she only knew how. This
house cleanin' racket is all dunn non
sense, anyhow"
"Why Jonathan! Don't swear like
that,' Betty exclaimed laughing; "Mr.
Maxwell's coming"
"I said d-u.m, Mrs. Betty; l never
say nothin' worse than that--'cept
when lose my temper" he added,
safely, examining first the hone and
then tho edge of the scythe, as If in.
tending to sharpen it.
Hepsey had gone into the house to
inspect for herself the thoroughness
OF Mary McGuire's operations; Betty
thought the opportunity favorable for
certain counsels.
1.-THE trouble with you is you
shouldn't be living alone, like this,
Jonathan. You have all the disadvan'
tages of house, and none of the
pleasures Of home"
EYES," he responded, yawning, ats
true enough; but l amt chicken no
| more, Mrs. Betty, and I've most for.
got how to do a bit of courtin'. What
with cleanin' up, and putin on your
Sunday clothes and goin' to the bar
ber's, and gettin' good ready, it's q
considerable effort for an old man like
me-"
"People don't want to see your
clothes; they want to see you. II you
fsel obliged to, you can send your
Sunday clothes around some day and
let her look at them once for all. Keep
Ing young is largely a matter Of look
ing after your digestion and getting
plenty Of sleep. It's all foolishness for
you to talk about growing old. Why.
you are in the prime Of life"
Him! Yes. And why don't you tell
me that I look real handsome, and
that the girls are all crazy for me.
You're an awful jollier, Mrs. Betty,
though I'll admit that little jollyin'
does me a powerful lot Of good now
and then. sometimes like to believe
things l know to certainty 'aint true,
II they make me feel good."@
| For a moment Betty kept silent,
gazing into the kindly face, and then
the instinct of match making assert.
ed itself too strongly to be resisted,
/ No. rArn IN, hnt n
lonesome widower. Why don't you
get married? l mean it."
| For a moment Jonathan was too az.
founded at the audacity Of the ser.
ious suggestion to reply; but when
he recovered his breath he exclaimed:
well, I swan to man! What will
you ask me to be doin' next?"
"Oh, mean it all right persisted
Mrs. Betty. Here you've got a nice
home for a wife, and / tell you you
You will live whole lot longer IL you
have somebody to love and look after;
and if you want to know what you
will be asking me to do next, l will
wager a box of candy it will be to
come to your wedding"
MAKE 1t cigars, Mrs. Betty; I'm
not much on candy. Maybe you're up
noticed any females maxim advances
towards me in some time now. The
only woman l see every day is Mary
MCGUIRE, and she'd make pan cake
griddle have the blues if she looked
at it"
Mrs. Betty grasped her elbow with
one hand, and putting the first finger
of the other hand along the side oil
her little nose whispered:
Whats the matter with Mrs.
Burke?"
Jonathan deliberately pulled a hair
from his small remaining crop and cut
1t with the scythe, as if he had nuI
heard Betty's impertinent suggestion
But finally he replied:
There's nothin' the matter with
Mrs. Burke that know Of; but that's
no reason why she should be wantin
to marry me.'
"she thinks great deal of you;
know she does"
How do you know she does?"
well, heard her say something
very nice about you yesterday"
Him! Did you? What was it?"
"She said that you were the most
the most economical man she ever
met"
Sure she didn't say l was tighter
| than the bark On tree? I pueSs
aint buyin' no weddin' ring on the
strength of that. Now, Mrs. Betty, y.u
Just try again. l guess you're fooline
mel"
"Oh no, really Pm not never was
more serious in my life. ! mean jus,
what l say. i know Mrs. Burke really
thinks very great deal of you. and
II you like her, you ought to propose
TO her. Every moment a man remains
Il