Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1879-04-02

eyes and the sunshine of her SMILES.
Each OF them really had designs on the
widows heart and home, and each an
iicipated the time when he should hap
PLY possess the plump little lady with
all her charms, aud reign as lord aud
master of the boarding house.
Rogers was quite u gentleman, who
worshipped his fndm0rota in silence.
lie was possessed of numerous manly
attractions, such as = superb form, a
piercing eye and a luxuriantly flowing
beard, but, rs If to mock the advantages
already bestowed upon him, nature had
been rather extravagant in the con-
struclon Of his nose. This nose, which
performs an important part in our
story, is probably worthy of detailed
description, but the briefness of our
narrative prccludes anything more than
the observation that it was remarka-
! bly, prominent nose, of the Roman per-
suasion, which was peculiarly adapted
/ to pulling, blowing and snutEtaking
BE that as 1t may, the willow had been
| heard to remark that it was a wel-dis-
! posed nose, indicative of intelligence
and pleasant disposition, upon which
hint, fragile as it may seem to you, Jack
founded his hopes.
! Bob Carter, the garrulous sewing ma
chine man, WIS a dapper little fellow,
confident, conceited and efieminately
pretty. He attacked the widows affec-
tons IN a dashing way, which, after all,
Is the proper mode of attack, and was
ready to swear, that he could have her
hand at the asking. any time. So fully
assured was he of this, in his own mind
that he did not regard anybody else in
the light of competitor at all, and
therefore he was on the kindest terms
with poor, easy Jack, who, despite his
manifestations of good feeling, could
have eaten the little agent up in his
jealousy.
AS to the willy widow, she encouraged
them both; but, shy coquette that she
was, she encouraged everybody, and it
would have taken smarter man than
Jack to know, just where, if anywhere,
her affections were placed. Yesterday
his own hopes scared buoyant as a toy
balloon, but to-day they fell as flat rs
that same balloon when it collapses in
mid-air and thus his spirits rose and
descended like the mercury of Their
mometer in our tickle climate, Just as
they were thawed or frozen by the
smiles or frowns of the widow Lamar.
Upon this Christmas eve his spirits
were down, away down below zero, and
Jack was disconsolate, so that when the
flowing bowl presented itself as the
nepenthe for his troubled soul, he read
IlIy cd ! Cd
in his carousal from reasons entirely
different. His heart was bounding
with the hope of speedy success; land
tomorrow" he said to Jack in his great
pomposity, "the widow shall know her
fate. | will present myself to her as n
Christmas gift" Alas, so little did he
know, so little do any of us know what
the morrow or the whims of tickle
widow may bring out. Jack cursed the
fate which had not provided him with
the gift of gab,' and those other advan-
tages which Il sewingmachine agent
seems to be favored with more
than other mortals, and he laid the
blame of his discontinue all upon his
unfortunate nasal appendage. II it
weren't for my internal nose," he solilo-
quized, 81 should WOO the widow and
win her" But the fumes of the egg
nog permea Gated his brain and softened
all his harsher thoughts, so that when
he found his room and crept between
the cold, white sheets of his bachelor
bed. it was with milder feelings toward
all the world, not even emitting his
poor despised nose. Such Lethe, dear
friends, is egg-nog, into which we may
plunge with our sorrows, our dreary
forebodings and our petty hates, and
forget them one and all.
The bells that rang out so loudly, so
clearly SO merrily on that Christmas
morning, awakened Bob Carter from
his heavy slumber, and babe him arise
from his couch, array himself in his
very best attire and proceed to the con-
quest. He rubbed his eyes and listened
to the mighty clamor of the many bells,
and they were more than Christmas
bells to him. They were bells Of vic
tory, ringing out to the world the hap
Ply tidings that Bob Carter had gained
the lovely widow and assumed control
of the boarding house. No more adj
justlng Of sewing machines for him.
Here was an end to bobblns and shut
ties, and broken threads, and dull
needles, and lost stitches for one and all.
Never again should he hem or fell. or
braid, or cord, or pucker, or tuck. He
had removed his foot from the treadle,
he bad detached the belt for all time,
and henceforth some less fortunate in
dividual could run the machine.
"This is the propitious day, and |
hear victory in the air" he exclaimed,
springng to the floor, and straightway
going about his morning additions.