The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-02-14

never ndu Spulh enough 10 KISS Il SlII
under four eyes-to marry Amy. But
the ways of women are wonderOus. Hal.
The Sunset is my choice. Isn't she a
beauty: / am welded to her"
Then he laughed, drew himself up,
and l thought, how could woman
resist you, my handsome captain:
Poor puss, she had a confounded
rough way of it, " he continued.
What do you mean:"
why, haven't you heard Of it,"
Vague rmors only. Her father,
cashier of the bank. Wasn't there
trouble? Was it all true? Proud old
man. His heart broke. fancy. For
Heavens sake, Frank, tell me what you
know | demanded.
We'll, well, old quill-driver, don't
rough up So. do know about it. and,
though l say it, more than any but a
very few in the old town. never was
any hand at yarn, but if you viii have
it, maybe twill harrow YOU some, see
ing you were a little sweet on Amy"
Come. come, captain-there, chum-
my, then-begin. But, by George. if
you eXaggerate one iota, I'll call the
S,asSet-a clumsy old nooker."
Well, needn I ask if you remember
Amy, began my ris-a-riS, ,tormentngly,
nor tell YOU Of her step in the dance,
of the color Of her hair and eyes, nor
what a woman she has grown. Let Inc
see, you left home in forty"
Eight"
And YOU remember General WoodSon.
then, as a cheerful, elastic old gentle
man. who. at the hank-countcr. told off
the notes with CELEBRITY little less than
magic, to our unaccustomed eyes. lie
was a fayorite everywhere. You know.
With q lads help he performed all the
labor in the bank, except when Amy
would come down once in a while To
give him lift ON the books. Amy was
he~- fathers housekeep,r. too: her
mother died, JUST uItvI yvr' ',.-. s----
| guess. You see the young girl had
fish enough to fry. For all. She always
had a spare hour and some knicknack of
her needleWork for us Sailor-boys when
about leaving home. And the old Gen
eral would say, Luck TO you, my lad. ="
in mighty good manner that won us.
But | never could see that she
favored one much above another. Once
| had hidden lier goel-by, | remember.
and afterward seeing Ben BultTole call
at her house. | stood ont Of sight and
timed him-you laugh-watch in Land,
and / had the better of him some odd
minutes, or it may have been seconds.
| always think of it when | meet Ben ;
widow in the street. Ben married the
millincr's daughter Melissa Bliss,
whose name we young sea-dogs changed
I to MISSY Blissy. He went of t. Niu-
! gapore month after, second mate If
the bark RGIuJcfr. and was never heard
, from. Her widowhood began. You see.
I is soon rs her honeymoon ended. Ne
/ lisSa wears mourning for him now AMI
always Will. And Ben WAS worthy Of
! all her tears-aS good a fellow as ever
! learned a rope. Go and sec her, Hal.
/ But where am l running: Let's tack
ship.
You know the WoodSon homestead
/ on the corner Of India street. Yes hut
( you don't kuow-aS We young fellows
never think Of such things-taat the
. grandIo0kiug place had been IN the
/ Woodson family for some gengmtjons.
and that the Generals father lett II to
him encountered. Tie mortgage was
I never lifted 10y the latter. The General
/ lived pretty well. thinking his position
required it.
Then in an evil time ali Bumble-
/ head ran wild with land fever spec
ulation that promised to make the poor
rich and the rich happy. All tie old
stockings in all the dark corners in town
were empticd of their slilliHgs 10 buy
land in Roostock. Why, people, old
+ people, took money out of their bibles
that they had laid away to bury them.
/ to invest, expecting it to return them a
hundred-fold before it would be needed.
Burial day always seems SO distant to
us. especially if there is a chance to
make any money tomorrow.
( Amy's father was bitten 10y the 60
ing madness. He gathered the little he
could together. He drew his salary reg
ularly. and let his household bills run.
/ He sold wrongfully few hank shares
that he held in trust for Amy, which an
uncle had willed to her, and invested
/ the money in the golden land, secretly,
in the name of a brother in Ohio.
The voyage turned out mighty poor.
The land was well timbered, but a hun
dred miles away from river or tide-wa-
ter. The bubble burst. So the rich
! became poor, and the poor became hap
Py, thinking how their betters had come
down. They were sure of a burial, for
nobody was ever too poor for that.
''The old gentleman aged. He grew
fretful and absent-minded Tie gro
Ger and the butcher called again and
again for their dues-at the fTcnt door,
zoo. The milk-boy was even more ma
Iici9us, He chalked on She garden gate
'Warnin', pay up, o. k0ss, and chuck
led to himself around the corner, as he
peeped and saw Betty Floyd. the old