A gentleman who had been in Chicago only three days, but who had been paying attention to a prominent Chicago belle, wanted to propose, but was afraid he would be thought too hasty.  He delicately broached the subject as follows:  “If I were to speak to you of marriage, after having only made your acquaintance three days ago, what would you say of it?”

“Well, I should say, never put off till tomorrow that which should have been done the day before yesterday.”

  There was a young man from the West,
  Who proposed to the girl he loved best,
   But so closely he pressed her
   To make her say, yes, sir,
  That he broke two cigars in his vest.

  —­The Tobacconist.

They were dining on fowl in a restaurant.  “You see,” he explained, as he showed her the wishbone, “you take hold here.  Then we must both make a wish and pull, and when it breaks the one who has the bigger part of it will have his or her wish granted.”  “But I don’t know what to wish for,” she protested.  “Oh! you can think of something,” he said.  “No, I can’t,” she replied; “I can’t think of anything I want very much.”  “Well, I’ll wish for you,” he explained.  “Will you, really?” she asked.  “Yes.”  “Well, then there’s no use fooling with the old wishbone,” she interrupted with a glad smile, “you can have me.”

“Dear May,” wrote the young man, “pardon me, but I’m getting so forgetful.  I proposed to you last night, but really forget whether you said yes or no.”

“Dear Will,” she replied by note, “so glad to hear from you.  I know I said ‘no’ to some one last night, but I had forgotten just who it was.”

The four Gerton girls were all good-looking; indeed, the three younger ones were beautiful; while Annie, the oldest, easily made up in capability and horse sense what she lacked in looks.

A young chap, very eligible, called on the girls frequently, but seemed unable to decide which to marry.  So Annie put on her thinking cap, and, one evening when the young chap called, she appeared with her pretty arms bare to the elbow and her hands white with flour.

“Oh, you must excuse my appearance,” she said.  “I have been working in the kitchen all day.  I baked bread and pies and cake this morning, and afterward, as the cook was ill, I prepared dinner.”

“Miss Annie, is that so?” said the young man.  He looked at her, deeply impressed.  Then, after a moment’s thought, he said: 

“Miss Annie, there is a question I wish to ask you, and on your answer will depend much of my life’s happiness.”

“Yes?” she said, with a blush, and she drew a little nearer.  “Yes?  What is it?”

“Miss Annie,” said the young man, in deep earnest tones, “I am thinking of proposing to your sister Kate—­will you make your home with us?”

It was at Christmas, and he had been calling on her twice a week for six months, but had not proposed.