| Show j I fl itl I j II I I I I 1 + t i t HOWWOMEN HAVE PROPOSED TON I J TO-N MEN t I I I II r L J ij I II j F d f A party t of clever Chicago club omen i i m filulIl been arranging a history pro I III t I j r4i 1 gramme for next winters study From I t 1 tEc the rights nul restrictions of sovereigns j p r lJ 5 t Ij r the convocation presently slipped to the II I I ml prerogatives of queens that of formulating I J p 1 formu-lating marriage proposals among them Ii I 4 I I3y and by one brightfaced merry I I looking nifUron glanced at another wIth 4 t i humorous grimace I t t I They do say she remarked laughing I nl9 j iiI ii I laugh-ing that women other l than queens pop I J I I I the momentous question at times The second merryfaced matron accepted IJ l J ac-cepted the mischievous challenge In then I n the-n j spirit In which it had been filing t I J i1j I Well she admitted smiling in turn 1t r i tt 1 my husband always says I proposed to d Lt I 4 k him and although the statement isni J 1m t II I perfectly veracious Iwell I suppose I lJCreetp Iacols sUlpose jjII jj I III I I f 1 i did j help him nut a little Ill tell you II fj I i i t I how lie had been coming to see me for 1 8 j 1 I 1 i ages It was an open secret that he II I I loved me I suppose seeing that we will I l soon celebrate our thirtyfifth wedding I I I I I anniversary it will do no harm to admit I I LI I 111 c that I loved him In return But my I V J > family was more piospeioufe financially L THi than he was and although nobody else IiIUJ Ii IUJ 1 II I j i I dreamed of considering this clrcum J t I l r Inl stance Il did So he never l said any thing definite although 3well C6 1 1 f thIng dclnle nlthouSh wel yes bi 1 I II I Jf I 1 I j 5 laughing and blushing I gave him 11 I I I ii il i every opportunity It will do no harm j t I ti again to admit it at this late day that I t t I 1 didnt mean to lose him for lack of a lit 1 I I H I rlj J j tic quiet encouragement And he wasnt I my only suitor either by any means I tiIj t iI i II i I However 1 suppose hed have been call i1 1 I W II ing upon me three nights a week and il T jr never speaking yet if he hadnt received I I I II I 11 111 re-ceived an advantageous business offer 1 t I He came to me one evening full of J 1 I this oiler I meant success financial 111 II I tJI Ii prosperity almost everything pleasant I iIii f but it meant also a prolonged sojourn on 1 nHI t I i the other side of the world After along I it fil I J a-long conversation during which we I both experienced a bitter heartache at J I jflj1 I I thought of tho seemingly Inevitable parting I I part-ing he finally remarked Ill be pretty I 1 I I lonely I Bessie out there with not soul I 7 a 1 II i j 1 < love or who loves me near Then I I Tn I took my courage In both hands slimu 4 tl I 1 I late by my natural provocation and I itt 1 Ii snapped out my views I II j I i 1 You neednt be lonely if you werent I i such anIdiot I T said I I b 1 f I I Well I neednt bore you with what Ii happened afterward Buthe went off I II II ih I I r1J on that trip as my husband and he I hi t I 1 I I I didnt go alone I 9IF i f I knew n woman one who helped 1dIV I out her lover in iimflar fashion spoke ill another clever club member This jii lover too had been calling upon his iNn 0 ladylove for years without definitely Ib proposing and as every one supposed u that they were regularly engaged while 1 i4 t she knew that he had never spoken J4 hi > r position by and by grew rather uncomfortable 1 i t un-comfortable Finally one nightand j I this Is her own story for she told me f I herself and In no particular confidence I partcular conf1ence I oither he found her very thoughtful p and a little sad sat IL t c I always hate to my goodbye to di old friends or see pleasant times come i ii i to an end she told him quietly when FF4 I li he pressed for the reason of her unwonted fti t unwont-ed silence and depression What old u Il 41 friends and pleasant times I am going i to say goodbye to Well to your and A our longstanding comradeship Jimmie if I you must know Why he asked Li 1 I for he was naturally very much aston i I Jshed Well If you must know again L another man asked me an Important l 1 question this morning and if I presently 4 I t write to him the answer he begged me J1rt t to make to this question Im Im I r t afraid lie wont like us to be quite such I Intimate friends as we have been Jim fr ii mle thats all H JImmie not being altogether stupid l h conquered his timidity and hesitation lll and rose to the occasion without further f delay The other man received a most I4 r disappointing answer very promptly Indicted f hi In-dicted and the girl became Mrs Jim L mle before another month had gone I by i11 I I was the turn of the rosycheeked r j sensible smiling Scotchwoman of the r company to smile 1 The story you tell she said reminds 1 I i re-minds me of the story told me by an elderly 1 I i I el-derly aunt in the days when I was I c 1 young and had my loverp and when I perhaps one of them was a little slow about coining to the point My aunts I story dealt with the trials and troubles p of a sonsy Scotch lassie who had wailed for a dilatory suitor until her patience 4 t u had quite given way I ii Veel Jamie she said to him at I last I suppose its either your munll ness or my mal enJcss thats got to be I f I lost It were ever to come to an understanding under-standing So as Im losln my maidenly t maiden-ly figure anyhow an growin stout with 1 waHln here goes Is It yourself or 1t Sandy MacCllntock thatll say the mar riage lines with me come Sunday fortnight 1i fort-night U And according to my aunt story j it WUIJ Jamie whom this courageous 1IhI I t damsel married at the touraseOlH n j i i I matron of but few years standing 4 was obfitived to blush vividly ut this 1 i Juncture and the other women unanimously p unani-mously insisted that she explain away the fascinating me and flood of bright s color colorWell said the pretty blusher with L deprecating determination Iwell I I t helped out my husband II little also al p though I didnt go for to do It as our r country cousins sometimes say But we i r had visited the theater together that J t evening and on the way home we had r1 loft the street car and were walking I along a quiet moonlit street we fell to t I l i discussing the lovotnaking of the star and the leading lady The man who Is now my husband tout contended that I the leading lady in particular was exceedingly ti I ex-ceedingly natural in her love scenes I Ij t i as stoutly asserted Chat she was not iJ th r They werent engagcd when he l i kissed her I said at last Determined to ii 1 J N win the argument all Im sure it I 4i wasnt natural the way she aclcd Im y c1i Just anordinary kind of girl Allen but 1r i if any l man should kiss 1 me that way I1t without being sure that his engagement ring wan on my finger Id cither expect to kill him O to get engaged to him 11 1 t right away I t i Well I RUPPOHC you know what hap I i r pcneu then and happened so quickly 41 t iii ti that J wan brcaihlcss for L lon time af L ter And since I couldnt I tel Anc very well kill him II pot engaged to him right away t 1 I r n I Well T believe I helped out my hus band in th t th much tho same manner was t 1 the blUBhlng admlaalon of n pretty bride ti made amid the chorus of laughter that L1 0 f4 had followed the lust Bpeukera story 1 F although like my friend here I fOr no I I Idea or intention of doing It iBut we had been talking of palmistry which 1 was inclined to regard much more seriously seri-ously than he was and I showed him my palm to prove some mooted point O Nov my hand you see I explained ex-plained seriously ought by rights to belong to a married man I I wish youd let I he exclaimed willfully misunderstanding and taking possession of both palm and five fingers and thatthat was the way i happened to me I think perhaps that a great many women render a little assistance I I at the critical moment either consciously conscious-ly or unconsciously Of course I dont believe that any woman actually proposes pro-poses I do laughing interrupted the oldest old-est woman present I knew a woman once who not only confessed but proudly announced that she had talked sense into her husband in this connection She was a poor English woman of the primitive cottage type and she while Dlind and lame loved her nextdoor neighbor who wasdeaf and asthmatic to say nothing of having an Impediment ir I his speech The woman told me that she knew hed never speak If left to himself although she believed he liked her so finally one day she sent for him und to use her own expression Just up and did It I Andrew she beganand concluded operations by saying whats the use of us two poor old fools living alongside of each other and yet alone as we do Lets get married Andrew theres a good soul an lets get married tomorrow tomor-row Then Ill be ears and tongue for you Andrew you can be eyes and < l legs for me an its one bit of sup an fire will do for us both And then amid much amused laugher laugh-er and Joking the Informal and unpremeditated unpre-meditated proposal session broke up Chicago JSecordHerald |
