Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-01-30

me ON Jlme ii cOul0 get good man TO
go my security" 81 < II Z
Would he take me, do you t.linkP"
"Take youP A great sight sooner
than any other man in camp"
"Well, then, Bob, you give me
mortgage on the mine, and ifhis figures
are not too high I'll inaorse your note
and turn you over my interest beside.
The mine is solid yet. guess, though j
haven't been to it for a week"
"That's the gals fault. "grinned Bob; /;
"but. if she wasn't good L wouldn't
want to buy. / believe I'll go down
and see the old man-it won't take
long," and Bob buttoned up his coat
and started out.
Haitian hour later Bob returned with
the necessary papetl by which Stacy
conveyed his third snterest in The Ajax
mine to him for eight thousand dollars,
payable within thirty days. iDdorsed
Bob's note for the amount, he assuring
me that If the mine continued to pay, as
] it had in the past, he could easily take
it up when due, besides which, rea-
soned to myself, that | would soon be
Stacy's son-in-law, and, in case of Bob's
failure to meet the note, the old man
would not be hard on me. also trans
ferred my third interest 10 Bob for a
like amount, and secured myself for
both sums by mortgage on the prop
erty, and so | went to bed that night
and dreamed of the little wife / soon
expected to have.
saw Nellie the next day, and though
she smiled sweetly and blushed most
prettily | wasn't satisfied, as owing to
her getting things in readiness for the
trip next morning there was no oppor-
tunity for quiet little conversation. |
told Stacy | was going out, and he
laughed and said Nellie had spoken of it
and he didn't know but what it was
a good scheme for his gal, cause it could
hardly be expected that me and Bob
would be good company" and so the
matter was settled and | collected my
traps together, and those l din't care to
take with me, l distributed among the
boys. They all knew what | was going
out for, and good-natured witticisms
were freely indulged in at my expense.
But | liked it, and rather enjoyed my
triumphs over the colonel and the
judge and the Others who had tried to
win the little treasure that had carried
| off, but had miserably failed.
| sat in my cabin that evening-the
last should ever spend in Mineral City
and somehow / got terribly blue and
out of spirits. 1t felt like parting with
old friends. Every tree and every rock
seemed to have hold on my affections,
and the rough logs of my little home
had warm place in my heart. l
couldn't shake off my low spirits, and so
| went down to see my little one and
from her sweet face and pretty eyes
draw the consolation | felt | needed. |
found her looking tired from her ar
ranging and packing efforts, but she
seemed most glad to see me, and we sat
on the doorstep and were soon chatting
! in a warm confidential way. AS | was
about to go I took her iiSt1e hand in my
big palm and said: e
Are you really glad that ! am going
out with youP'
You know l am," she said, earn
estly, her eyes dropping and her soft
little fingers involuntarily pressing
mine, and somehow before l fully real
lied what was doing had leaned for
ward and pressed a hot, passionate kiss
on her pretty lips, and with little ex-
clamation expressive of surprise and
not Of anger she turned and vanished
was happy fellow that night.
Our trip was begun the next morning
and in due course of time we all of us
came to halt in New York. What a
delicious time had had of it, and how
considerate Stacy and Bob were to me-
They never intruded their presence, but
let me have Nellie to myself, as though
they had no connection whatever with
us. l felt grateful to them and medi-
tated often upon what l could do to
show my appreciation of their thought
fulness and good feeling. Nellie was
little paradox, however-an enigma
couldn't solve. l had proposed to her
half dozen times on our way East.
but though she showed that her heart
was mine and permitted me to squeeze
her hand, whisper soft nothings and
kiss her goodnight when she retired,
she would give me no answer to my
pleadings, but kept me off with a
coquetry in itselfmost attractive. And
so the days spun around and seemed to
be no nearer than when we left the old
mining camp, and | got irritable and
out of sorts, and one day Nellie sug-
gested that | had better run on and see
my family and get sweetened up a little,
and savagely replied that would, and
| should not return until she sent for
me, ETC., etc. She smiled sweetly, and
looked tenderly out of her pretty eyes
and took the train for Philadelphia,
in terrible temper, and yet feeling sure
that l would be back again within
forty eight hours, and [ was. | asked
the clerk to send up lay card, and he
said it would be useless, as the lady
with her father and the other gentle.
man, had left the night before, for the
South, he thought. They had left {
letter for me, however, and--I snatcheC
the letter, and tore it open. There
were several enclosures, reading as fol
lows:
THURSDAY.
My DEAR CHARLEY: You must par,
don my terrible Irritation with you O
the past few weeks, but it was the las
| should ever have and you are tn,
dearest of fellows to finish upon. / dare
say you will feel little vexed, bu
you'll get over it, Charley. and whei
Rob and myself get settled down t,
sekeeping-which I trust will be
long time yet-you must come and se
us and be good friend to your peniten
AAAtA NELLIE.
The next was:
DEAR PHILADELPHIA: You've had
good time with my intended wife and
haven't interfered; YOU indorsed m,
note for $4,000 and won't cheat yo1
out oft. l trusted you and you cam
to "time;' You trusted me and here
am smiling. enclose with this m,
note that you indorsed and deeds con
veying to you the whole of the Ajax
She's pinched, Philadelphia, and ain
worth cuss. You Sdbe now the bust
ness that called ne East, ehp Ta, Ia.
MINERAL BOB.
| have never seen them since.
; don't want to- / went back to the oil
camp the following year. The boy
don't tease me now, but | thrashed tw