The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-02
DAN MASON'S ONLY LOVE.

Once had hopes it might O. soun'ed right,
but now, now it falls heavy on my heart, an
makes me think o times that's gone. It
brings 'eln all back in my mine-Bnl, ther
squir, an Minnie, ther squir's darter; but
of em all Minnie comes fust. | amt never
hearn er name like SO Aell as hern- Iuse to
say it over an over cause it b'lOng to her, an
l do it yit when thars nobody TO hear me.
| But it souns so dif'unt now, nothin' like it uSe
TO. After all, tho, tbar's nothin' strange
erbout it cause everything is dif'unt now;
| nothin' looks like it use TO. 1t may be me
that's changed Yes, l 'spect it is. Wall, l
had 'nough to change me, so 'taint Surprisin'
after all, you see, when man puts all his life
in somethin' an it's all of sudden took away,
it goes kind o hard.
I was out in Californy when 1 met 'em,
an Squir Duff got me to go in partnership In
ther minin' business. All l wanted was that
chance, SO we sittled things then an thar an
went to work Squir Duff had ther puttiest
darter l ever seen, an it never took me long
! to like her nuther. She was white an red all
ther time, with long black hair an little black
eyes-the shiuyest eyes l ever seen, too-an'
was built up jist like pony. l staid at ther
house, so me an Minnie was il one mothers
| com'ny right smart. With her ham holm
!
! trees, sot down on ther roots an talk ther
| longest times together. Sometimes I'd help
her pick up burrs an sich like, what she made
| picter frames outer Our heads would some
how git close unbeknownst to us, an I'd kiss
! her fore l knowed what / was doin' Any
! feller would done like me, an perticler if they
| liked her as l did.
| Their squir' had already gin her to me an
-
| git marrid. Min was fourteen an jis' the
| kind of a girl to make ther boys like her.
though she didn't pear to take to none o.
them but me, an l was glad of it, too. Thar
was er crossn' what we had to pass over in
! goin' ov mornin's to ther mines, an twas
gittin' in sich bad way we had to stop am
fix it, Mos every mornin' she'd go long by
me far as ther crossin', then go back home to
ten to dinner. use to wanter go back with
! her, but that would er bin knockin' of work
fore 1 commenced, so I couldn't. Any place
she wanted to go I took her, but that was
only natural, cause she sot heap O stOe by
me, an l knowed thar want nothin' in ther
worl' | love like her.
She was bout es happy over ownin' me
es [ was FIR ownin' her, an she didn't kere
who seen US holdin's hans along ther rode,
kind O. man he wanted for his darter, cause
he couldn't bear to see her git bad feller for
husband She was ies' ther one | wanted I
know'd 'thout akin nobody's odds, an all
was waitin' for was ther day to roll aroun
what made her fifteen. Then we was goin'
to git ther knot tied sure. was all time
thinkin' bout how l was gon' TO rig up in
bran new allapacker cote an pants an red
top boots an a shinin' cap As fer Min, thar
want no tellin' what she'd have, but spect
ed ther finest lot o rigin' er man ever seen.
When ther crossin' was fixed so thar WANT
no more danger to go 'crost it, me an ther
squir went on to work al ther mines. We
he'd struc' er vein an that meant somethin,
to US both but more to me on count O. Min
Their squir got flush an got her ther finest
nag he could git. Every time I had er chance
/ put in er lick or two o. currin' on her, an
by an by she was mos as shiney es Minis
eyes. Min was ther puttiest sort O rider, an
when shed cope by ther mines every man
would stop work to look at her pretty face.
She always loped hard an loud over ther
crossin' so I'd know she was comm, for she
know'd how | loved ther sight o her. I
want good lookin' much myself, an it made
my heart awful light some way or 'nuther to
think she liked ther looks O me better'n ther
other fellers. Then er gin twas 'nough to
make me proud when know'd that ther on
lest girl in thirty miles er bout b1ong'd to
me. Every piece o gold l foun' ] put 1t by
fer her. Her face was fore mine from morn
till night with that hansorne smile, an them
eyes what was brighten air hunk o gold he'd
come a'crost yit On her han she wore ther
incest sort Of silver ring l he'd give her, an
she always hilt up that han' so folks c0sld see
she wored Dan Gaseu's present.
Every time / looked at it l wished twas
gold, but twas ther onliest kind | could git
anywhar near, an it come off Tom McGin-
niseS little finger when he sole it to me. But
it was ring, an chat she had TO have. Once
/ Sprained my knee joint an was laid up two
weeks at ther hoGse-ther best weeks / ever
know'd, too. Most every mint sne'd come to
see how was glttln' erlong, an at night she'd
talk an laugh so I'd fergit all erbout ther
Tackin' in my knee While / was laid up |
took some bark from ther big trees an made
rope big an strong. When / got well nough
made swing under ther biggest tree 'Toun'
an fasten'd er piece o. chain on to it so
'twould rattle Tner mines was only er little
ways off, an | wanted to know when she was
Swingiu'. Whenever / hearn that chain rat
tie felt better 20 know she liked somethin' !
he'd fixed, an ther best times ov all was when
we sos in thar together
| sent for her weddin' ring six months
bforehan', 50 as TO git il on time ! tried to
git her size, but she didn't pear to know what
her number was, nor what finger 70 measure
on, 50 ! jes' tole tber man ter sen or girls
ring, az ne sout il. 1t come IN three months
ali safe an well though tier box what hilt it
looked like il cad saw rough rode. | had
eF hard time to git Min 70 try 1t on, cause she
said 'twould give US bad luck 20 war II fore
ther weddin. But 10 SATISFY me SIZE put II on
ali her fingers 10 see what one il 1t ther best.
II looked too pretty fer nothii' % her middle
finger. 80 she said she knowei thes vas whaT
IS o!onged.
They more I thought bon: Cur w-jdin' I
ther harder / worked. what Eared ne oct at
fGs. seemed rothin' then. An wEea we
started home after b1lockin OF work tier
thought OF Hin's waitia' a. her gsts for Ger
"a an me maze re feel = fresh Il I bad
is r- ont o. ped ov e. mcFbin- lis e.
rliZhta nice feel4a' 20 know tEar's sou1ahody
wailin' AZ bone Ter you, al wgshiH' you'd
come: s9rre6o1ys sraiiIa' face a. taer door,
an - snokia' supper u tee Ees-f6- Tsar's
r1thin 'i-s f. 7. maze - Esa~ -1irr more
ov ther wcrl' an tler people ~ = IrT1aEss
him proud he's livIn' an think more O. Cod
Out O al tier miners ne al SPUR Duf Tss
ther onhes ones what he'd anyboiv q think
o-bout an love We was always II hurry
% git bone o eveain's. al never lozs nc tla1e
II tzlsia' % .ae- Dovx
Bue taey diin't ke-e uotain' fzl halt
their camp. dsdn's pear 70 rziDs & they never
got thar. An what wRs -aeir 80 q E1rTIn
70 s ole, supsy ullss-ble IooKin' CAMP Tar
was no docTs op@a. 10 f-e bErrIu', 10 smell
q rrEh frrir- NJ rnznar-s face nc- notEl--