Nevada County picayune., 1890-08-07
4 JEWEL OF A WIFE.

1 IcllOW, cOnulllOn uOuDtlcSS brought about by his close association with butter, bacon and axle-grease, for every other man i'll the ncighborhood was lean with that lankness SC characteristic of the Southern back woodsman.
 The most striking of Jasper S characteristics was his love for his daughter Beulah, a handsome girl whose name had been taken from an absurdly romantic, not to say fam ] boyant novel which, years ago, had found its way into the neighboThood Beulah, however, was not so roman l tie as her fictitious nameSake, unless certain vein of violence can be re- garded as romance, for nothing seemed to delight her so much as standing about on hog-killing day, watching the red gush of an expiring  SOW: and, indeed, l have been told that she once filled dog with num- Der six shot and then laughed glee- fully at his death-inspiring howls.
 One day fellow named Jim Buck, a pretended farmer, an actual slouch and the lankest of the lank, entered .Jasper's store and calling the old man from his thrilling work of weighing few pounds of blue looking butter which an old negro had brought to exchange for cast iron blow. thus addressed him:
 "Old man, "you've noticed me around here good deal lately, haven't you:"
 wy, don't know that l have, Iim,' the old man answered, wiping his greasy hands on the bosom of his hickory shirt. The fact is. have been so busy lately with thls here rushin' life of commerce that l haven't had tune to notice any thing"
 Not even Beulah?" Jim asked.
 "What do you mean?" the old man demanded, somewhat gruilly. "What's Beulah got to do with any thing that mout cOnsarn you?'
 ''Don't fly off the handle, as the boy said to the axe. l wanted to know if you had noticed me around here much lately, an you lowed that you had been too busy to notice Beulah, an that's whar the matter stands now.
 "An' l wanter know why you mention the girl;"
 Wall, l jest wanter know ef you have noticed the powerful strong al lection that has been growth up be- twixt us ever scncc the protracted meetin' over at Station Camp Creek last fall?"
 The old man sat down on keg of nails and wOve his greasy fingers to- gether.
 "Jim, you don't mean to say that you are in love with Beulah, do you:"
 II not only mean to say it, but do say it right out"
 But do she love you, Jim /:
 "Shc do."
 "How do you knowE'
 "Cause she lows she does.
 "Wall, ef that's the case, said the old man, II reckon she do, but I'm powerful sorry, Jim."
 Why, Jas: Ain't l allus traded with you! Didn't 1 buy a haffer side of bacon from you last spring
 'rhat'll true enough, Jim, but Eve had big hopes for her l wanted her to marry somebody that amounted to something.
 "Don't amount to nothin' f'
 "Wall, hardly, Jim. You're red- headed, hungry-lookin', knock kneed, an your front teeth air out
 .'Ycs, kicked out by a steer, Jim interposed.
 That don't make no diffnnce, Jim. My daughter ain't called on to put up with the cavortln's of a steer, and it don't make no diffunce how you lost your teeth. The p1nt i is that you ain't gone none"
 "Now, here, Jas," said lim' placing his hand on the old man s shoulder, ''ef the fack that ain | got no teeth is the biggest oblecton' WV kin have some put in this fall
 .i, ,.r,,, turns out all right.