The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1878-01-03
MINE HOSTS STORY.

swell. yes, the Indians did get pretty
close to us, but never heard of more
than one being seen here,' replied mine
host, an intelligent young farmer in the
Town of l., one of the border set
Elements of Minnesota. "But there
has been SO much written about that
terrible massacre that my story will
seem stale, fear.''
thought saw merry twinkle in
his eyes as he looked athis wife, very
pretty little woman, too young to look
matronly, but not too young to be the
neatest, prettiest little wife in the
world.
"Oh, tell it by all meansr' urged,
filing my pipe from the plethoric
pouch which he offered me.
Well will,' saia he, after mo-
ment's thought. during which time his
head became enyeloped in "a cloud of
blue smoke; but must be brief. You
see, it was much wilder spot about
here than it is now. The village was
simply few struggling huts, vet inn
proving rapidly. This house was Just
completed most pretentious dwell
ing for miles around; and where you
was an unbroken waste of land.
'Carringsford-J John Carringsford-
owned this place then. He came from
the East, where fortune had frowned
upon him. Comparatively poor in his
native city, he was reckoned in these
parts, where there was more land than
money to buy, a perfect nabob. He
was just the least bit proud of his po-
sition, putting on considerable style,
yet he was very good sort of man
at heart.
"He had daughter-a young lady
of rare personal beauty and accom-
plishments. To tell you that Maud
Carringsford's hand was sought by
nine-tenths of the young men about
here, would be repeating what YOU
have already surmised. At first Maud
treated her awkward and bashful. vet
true-hearted admirers, with chilling dis
dain; but as time wore on she became
accustomed to her new and wild life,
and she gradually lowered her aspira-
tons to proper level!
Her father, however, was not SO
easily influenced. You know the adage
about teaching an old dog new tricks.
John CarringsfOrd had not quite shaken
of the dust Of city life, and to marry
his daughter to one of those country
Doors, as he termed them, was not to
be thought of for moment. You can
guess he made it quite unpleasant for
those young aspirants for Maud's hand
They dropped off one by one, until
only Charley Merriman was left. He
was not frightened BIZ John earrings
ford's dignity. He had seen something
Of city life, although he never prided
himself enough upon the fact to tell it.
He had been in the West long enough
to get some of the polish rubbed of,
but he had not forgotten everything.
He was the least Objectionable of all
Maud's suitors, but he wore cowhide
boots and flannel shirts, and all those
sort of things, and John Carringsford
couldn't go him quite
"Charlie understood all this, but he
considered her too valuable . prize to
relinquish without some efforts, and
John Carringsford grew to like him
after awhile for his perseverance. No
doubt he would have given Maud to
Charlie Il new aspirant had not APP
peared in the person of very elegant
young man named Silas Wheeler.
This new-comer was quite curl
osity about here. He was got mp re-
gardless Of expense, and to hear him
talk one would suppose that be was
abundantly able to buy the whole of
Minnesota and the northern tier of
counties in Iowa.
!" John Carringsford was taken with
him:at once, snd he was taken with |
coE5fnGufoed. He became . frequent
v1dflbf g Carringsford's. It was not |
bard 70 guess that Maud was the at- i
Traction; neither was it difficult to see
that John Caxrinestord vas pleased
that & Was 20. He gave Wheeler every
eneoer.gement, while Maud did not no
p1loo lin,