COMING TO THE POINT.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 414, 9 October 1875, Page 3

COMING TO THE POINT.

There is no foolishness about some of the fathers of Dubuque County, lowa, who have marriageable daughters, and they know how to precipitate business when the fruit is ripe for plucking, and hangs wasting its sweetness when it should be plucked. Matters were brought to a climax with a rush at a certain farmer's residence in Vernon Township recently. A young tiller of the soil had for months and months been paying most assiduous attentions to one of his daughters, but he was such a bashful, modest chap, never having been much in the company of girls, except that one, that he had never been able to raise his courage sufficiently high to pop the all-important question. He had gone to the house in which his admirer lived, upon at least twenty different occasions, resolved to know his fate, but when ushered into the presence of his fair one, into whose keeping he had placed his heart, his courage would invariably 'go back on him,' and he would return to his lonely room in greater suspense than before. Upon the evening in question he had determined that, come what would, he would tell his Mary he loved her. He would once for all decide the matter, but, as upon each former occasion, he could get the proposal no farther than his throat. There it stuck, and he had just determined to gulp it down and give up the siege, when the door opened and in stalked the girl's father, who advanced to where they were sitting, and thus addressed them—' I came in to put a stop to this infernal foolishness. It ain't the courting expenses that I'm looking at, for coal oil's cheap an' wood can be had for the haulin', but I'm sick and tired of this billin' and cooin' like a pair of sick doves, keeping me awake 'o nights, an' it's got to be stopped right here. Mary Jane, look up here. Do you love John Henry well enough to marry him ?' ' Why, father, I—l—you must ' ' Stop that darn foolishin',' yelled the old man. 'Answer " yes "or " no," an' mighty quick, too. It's got to be settled now or never.' ' Well, but, father, don't you know—if you'd only wait, am l ' 'Dry lip; answer "yes" or " no." Speak,' roared the old gent. ' Well, yes, then. There now,' and Mary again hid her face. ' That's business ; that's the way to talk. Now, John, look here—look up here, or I'll shake you all to pieces. Do you want that gal of mine for a wife ? Speak out like a man, now.' ' Why, Mr , ain't this rather a—l mean, can't you—' ' Speak it out, or out of this house you'll go head foremost. I won't wait a minute longer. There's the fgal, and a likelier girl ain't in the State, an' you just heard her say she wanted you. Now John, I won't stand a bit o' foolin'; once for all, " yes," or " no." ' ' Well yes, sir, I have been presumptuous enough to hope that I ' 'O, cuss your soft talk ; the thing's settled now. You two b d fools would have been six months more at that job that I've done in five minutes. I never saw such fooling as there is among young people nowadays. Ain't like it was when I was young, au' now, good night. You can talk the thing over, 'an you 'an me, John, 'll go to town 'an get the licence to-morrow. Soon be time to go to ploughin' —no time for love-making then. Cood night, good night ; hope I wasn't too rough, but 1 was determined to fix the thing up one way or the 'tother ;' and the old man went back to bed. Now that the ice was broken, the young people laid all their plans for the future, and John felt just a little bad at the comfort he had lost, when Marylooked up at him shyly, and said: ' This would have been all right four months ago, | John, if you hadn't been so skeery. I I know'd all the time that you wanted to ask j me ; but it wasn't in my place to say anyj thing you know.' No cards.