, 1923-05-17
Place to
Propose
BY JANE OSBORN
70. 1923. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicats.)

20. 1928. by Mcclure Newspaper syndicats.)
II " thought how funny 1t
was" said Sally. the new Mrs. Tom
Leonard, "but Tom proposed and l
accepted In the coalbin. You don't
mind my telling, do you. Tom?' she
asked. turning adoring eyes on her
husband at the other end of the table.
And of course their guests laughed.
That is Bob Seton and Mrs. Bob
Seton did. and so did the Collinses
and Jerry Taylor and his fiancee,
Alicue Webb. but Nell Leonard, Sal
ly's nineteen-year-old sister-in-law
looked r~ound-eyed and very serious,
and Kenneth Yates, sitting beside her,
seemed to get the contagion Of her
disapproval and went on eating his
oyster patty without a smile.
They had been talking about the
manner of their various proposals.
The Bob Setons admitted that in their
case proposal and acceptance both
took place when they were waiting
their turn in the student employment
office that winter that they both tried
to pay their own expenses in college,
and Jerry Taylor insisted that he first
suggested matrimOny when he and
Alicue Webb were swimming beyond
the breakers in the Atlantic ocean.
"She had challenged me to race her
to the sandbar," Jerry said, "and when
she thought she was winning l called
out that If I ever caught up to her and
reached the bar first 1 was going to
marry her. She called back, All
right and I won the race. After that
We were engaged"
The Collinses agreed that their pro-
posal had been given and accepted in
the Morse code. During the war. Mrs.
Collins said, she had studied telegra-
ply as an act of patriotism. Mr.. Col
Inns had undertaken to instruct her
as an act of patriotism. "And be-
fore the whole class he licked off a
proposal to me-" said Mrs. Collins
with mock Indignation.
"Yes," replied Mr.. Collins, "and she
had the audacity to tick back, I love
you. too; of course I'll marry you
But then nobody else In the class was
clever enough to understand what It
was all about"
After that Mrs. Tom Leonard had
said that she and Tom could never
find occasion to get alone together.
She was visiting Toms family and Tom
went to fix the furnace, whispering
to her to follow, and down there in
the coalbln, by the light of a dripping
candle, he said: "Wil your" and she
said: 81 will"
"Why SO soberr asked Tom Leon,
ard. looking down the table to his lit.
tie sister. Don't you approve OF
these confessional"
81 don't mind the confessions" said
Nell emphatically. But I don't ap.
prove Of getting engaged that way.
Honestly. / don't. 1 may be q fiapper
and bob my hair and all that, but
I'm old~-fashioned enough to think
there ought to be a proper setting for
a proposal-soft music. low lights. a
conservatory or a ripping brook, or
something. Oh. I think 1t would be
just horrid having the man you want
ed to marry propose to you in swim
ming. with your hair all tucked Into a
rubber cap and your face all dripping
with salt water"
For some reason or other Kenneth,
sitting beside Nell, felt very much
embarrassed He managed to look up
thinking possibly he would be the cen.
ter of every ones gaze.
Being cross is very becoming tc
you" Kenneth stammered after din.
ner when after some maneuverlng he
managed to find himself tete-a-tete
with Nell. "You were quite Indignant
at dinner. and I never saw you loob
prettier-and that's saying a lot. !
knew you meant every word you said
/ rather agree with you"
"I'm so glad" said Nell and then
"you know it's always nice to fee
that there's some one who shares you
opinions. just on general principles
But I certainly mean II. After Tn
married | want to be able to look
back on the occasion of my proposal
as something infinitely romantic and
picturesque. Besides. Sally admitted
hat she was at our house when Ton
proposed and any well-bred person
knows that a girl should never con
slider a proposal away from her owr
territory. And Tom ought to have
known that II wasn't good form tc
propose to a girl In his own house.
may be old-fnshioned-"
"You're the most ador-" That wa:
as far as Kenneth got. Tom Leonard
had been pushed forward rather un
willingly.
"Come on. Sis" he said. EVERY,
body's dancing and they want us tc
show them that new step we wer,
dancing at Hillside Inn. Sally ha,
had to go and quiet enc OF the twins
30 you'll have to be my partner"
For the rest OF the evening Ken
meth tried In vain several times e