The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-08-29
Where There's a Will There's a Way.


Where There's a Will There's Way.
There is a great deal said in these lat
ter days about "affinities % in the mar
riage relation and about congeniality
and all that sort of things. But does
nature always work by contrasts? ? If
there is any excess in one place, is
there not sure to be want in another :?
Extremes meet, and SO they did when
Bob Gray, the easiest man in town,
paid his addresses to Kitty Logan, the
young school ma'am, who had agreed
to take the village school in the town
ship of Niles; where the big boys al
ways turned the master out of doors
on Christmas, or made him treat. Bob
Gray had rich father, hard working
mother, and one proud sister, and could
afford to be lazy. Mr.. Gray, the elder,
came west in very early times, and To-
Gated near the town of Niles, lived in
log cabin ten years, shook himself
out of joint with the ague, "wore it
out" and never had it afterward. But
poor neighbor who had large farm
mile from Mr.. Gray, could not wear
it out; his wife died, his children suf-
fered, he offered his farm very cheap,
and Gray bought him out promising to
pay some time.
A year or so afterward, discouraged
with his crops and the inability to pay
for his new farm, he tried to persuade
the former owner to take it back, which
he refused to do-a law suit ensued,
and the matter ended by poor Gray be-
ing obliged to keep the farm and pay
the costs. Terrible was the blow, but
be lived through it, and five years af
terwards, when the Ohio and Missis
sippi Railroad passed the same farm
and set up station house exactly ii
the center, he found himself q rich
man. He sold town lots at high prices
sent his son Tommy to Jacksonville, tc
be educated, and daughter Susan tc
Monticello. He dressed himself il
broadcloth-wore kid gloves-accep
ted the nomination for the Legislator.
and Unexpectedly found himself elected
and making laws for his countrymel
at the capital of the prairie State. S.
much in explanation. r.
Bob came home from Jacksonvill
with sheepskin properly tied with blu
ribbons, dressed superbly, had the bes
"turn out" in town, wore tremen
dous pair of whiskers, and of cours
Kitty Logan felt flattered when he OF
fered to see her home from ehurch-o
called after school to take her out rid
ing. Miss Susan Gray took littl
pains to find out that Kitty was dis
tantly related to the Summers and Lir
coins of Massachusetts, but someho,
she did not learn the important fac
that Kitty had worked at the straw
! braiding business in the town cf Fo,
$ boro until she had earned mono
enough to educate herself.
"Where there's will there's way,
said Kitty, "and l know l can paddl
my own canoe out West, where the
say nothing is wanting but the powt
to do and the will to put that power
motion"
So bidding her few friends good by
a for she was an orphan, she donned th
. prettiest little straw hat which her ow
pretty fingers had plated, pressed an
sewed, and trimmed with neat dra
s. ribbon with blue edges, which CORE
5, ponded exactly with her drab travt
" ing dress and matched her blue ey,
~ to It. Thus she started off for Ill
& nois where a friend of hers lived al
ir had written to her-she thought tt
school could be procured. She was
little homesick when she arrived
Niles, and would have given one
the gold pieces hid away in that priva
pocket of hers for look once more
the rough rocks and swampy hollow
overshaded by thin evergroens tn
he surrounded her native home. S
e. Re- would have bounded with JOY at t
. sound of the old factory bell that us
u to call the merry girls together for th'
Il evening toll. Still she did not sig
'st but put on cheerful face-sought Q
the direction and made her appiic:a;s4:s Z
Mr.. Smith, the main man, looked as
the little blue eyed mynx, with her ro
hy lips, half insulted his dignity to col
offering herself to teach school in I'll
neighborhood. But as she offered
teach three dollars month cheaI
than the last incumbent and wrote su
hts a pretty hand, which they could re
like print, besides had such a winni
way" they agreed to hire her. To {
re, astonishment of everybody-Christn
and New Year too went by, and {,