The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1873-10-16
HOW A LAWSUIT WAS ENDED.
BY JOSIE A. DOBsON.

| l. OphlHS wal bdSiOlois
mention the fact with Ill due rever
ence for the name, and sympathy for
The condition. He was well to do in
the world, if owning a fine farm ana
being plaintiff in lawsuit Is an,
crl er,on. Aside from Mr.. PopkIns
misfortune in being bachelor, b,
had bat one tault-a general aver
sion TO a female society and partic
uIar aversion to Miss Sallie Hopkins,
the defendant in the above named
lawsuit.
Now, be it known, that though
Miss Sallie's pame was put down in
the list of o. MS, (Old Maids she
was the roundest, rosest, dimpled
checked spinster that ever lived in
Lincoln. She had the softest brown
eyes, with trick of looking down
and peeping under her lashes, per-
fectly bewildering, and hair that
waved and shone in the light, in
such a manner that susceptible lady
like you and /, would have felt an
irresistible desire to have had sole
ownership of the "nut- brown locks"
But however fascinating Miss
Sallie was to the sex in general, as l
have said, between her and Mr..
Popkins there was a deadly feud
and the cause of all the trouble was
a meadow, spreading far and wide
between Miss Sailie's and Mr.. Pop
kins' farms.
Now, the truth of the matter was
this: The meadow justly belonged
MIR. r.IPopkins, but instead of going to
to Miss Sallie and frankly stating the
case, be must serve a process of law.
Miss Sallie flew all to pieces, and
| declared she would maintain her
rights at any cost.
/ am confident from the manner in
which the whole thing ended, that
had Mr.. Popkins gone to her, him
self, she would have relinquished it
gracefully, but woman has mortal
horror of being forced to do any
thing. Tie a thread round their
necks, feed them sugar plums, and
you can lead them to the dumping
off place." go to driving them, and
for obs,inacy, they will beat Mark
Twain's mule N the Holy Land, all
! to pieces.
When Miss Sallie met Mr.. Pop
kins on the street, her nose was
decidedly "retrousse," and Mr.. Pop.
kins looked like an automatic cardiff
giant. The neighbors were forced to
take sides in this case, for when invi.
tations were issued for the regular tea
parties, those who invited Mr.. Pop
kinswere obliged to omit Miss Sallie,
and vice versa.
In the meanwhile, the lawsuit
dragged Its slow length along"
from session to session, from term to
term, until Popkins versus Hopkins
was as familiar as A, B, G. But fate
had taken in hands the destiny of
these two obstinate individuals, and
soon brought matters TO most sat
isiactory conclusion, although the
unconscious mediator was rather a
burlesque on the "high tragedy"
daily enacted.
There lived close to these beliger.
ants, good natured old man, nearly
as deaf as a post, who had the great
est faculty for blundering on unfor-
tunate facts of any individual known
either in Ancient of Modern HIS
tory.
He never heard anything correctly
and it was an utter impossibility to
try and explain you would certain
ly find yourself floundering about in
a perfect "slough of despair"
Miss Sallie and Mr.. Popkins had
received notice that their case would
come up for a final hearing, in Har-
row, on the Tuesday of next week.
Miss Sallie concluded to take the
stage; Uucle Ben Droper, our deaf
friend, had business little distance
on the road, and be would take the
stage too, and Mr.. Popkins' saddle
horse fell sick just as he was needed,
and no time for any other arrange
ments, so he must take the same
conveyance.
7 Miss Sallie came floating down to
the gate with white ribbons and
bows, and dainty dress, sufficient to
bewilder a man with as stony q
heart az the Syhinx, and saw ap-
preaching from the opposite side, her
foe in Immaculate broadcloth, and
shirt-front. For a moment the col
or flashed to her cheek, and she half
resolved to go back, but to be out
done by man, and he Popkins,
was not to be thought of. So she
stepped in the coach with the air of
sixteen Queen Victorias, elevated
her head until it made an acute an.
gle with her nose, aud then became
sublimely unconscious of any ones
presence. Mr.. Popkins seated himeslf
as though he had swallo wed whole
foundry, and had his pockets full OF
eggs for desert just then came
Uncle Ben, putting and blowing, ut
terly uncons cious of the oaths OF the
impatient "Jehu."
"Good morning, Miss Sallie," aaid
he, carefully seating himself beside
her. "Good morning, Mr.. Popkins
where might you be going, and what
forP"
cTn Harrou se;d NJ Ponkina in