The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1890-05-17
A CASE OF TRUE LOVE
M Which tho Judge Renders a
Verdict In Favor of Himself
TIE story Of Three Young Farmers, Full
81 Ardent Arkansas Love, Who We're
Bsseiy Cheated Out Of ~ Years
Hard Toll.
ICopYRIcHT, 1901

Jef Hadley. stranger in the COM
munity, saw Minnie Barnes at the old
log meeting house and fell in love with
her. JEFF yearned to be presented to
her, but he knew no one, and as he
was not asdiplomatist, his connection
with tho public having thus far been
confined to the deck OF u Mississippi
river steamboat, he had To content
himself with standing on the outskirts
Of tho crowd, and gazing with eating
eyes at the bewitching young woman.
He learned that old Barnes, tho girls
father, was quite well-to-do farmer,
and the next day on pretext OF look
ing for 'strayed horse, he called at
the Barnes homestead. Minnie met
him with delightful courtesy-she an
swered his questions with regard to the
horse; told him with tremor OF pathos
in her voice that her mother had been
dead number of years, and even
brought him q glass OF cream from the
spring-house where the green frog sat
under the dripping moss and sang q
hoarse accompaniment to the crickets
sharp-edge chant.
JEFF came again the next day, declar-
ing that he had been told that the horse
had been seen strollingin that direction.
The girl told him OF her bird that had
died, and with the corner OF her checked
apron wiped star from her eye. When
JEFF went away, he ran into the
woods and passionately Rugged q
black oak tree. Three days later he
called again and when she asked him IL
he had found his horse, he dropped on
his knees and desperately exclaimed:
Lovely critter, oh! Heavenly critter,
/ don't know boss whom | sec him.
Oh! first June apple Of backward sea-
son, lead me not into talkiD' about
bosses. ] love boss as we'll as any
body does, but let us talk about .
angel-let us talk about you. Minnie,
II love was q noise, you'd think that
saw-mill had been started in your ears.
Sweet lilac on spring morning; sweet
perfume OF wild plum blossoms In the
June air, love you"
Minnie lifted the corner OF her apron,
wiped another star from her eye and
declared that her other bird was dead.
"Oh, let tho birds did," he cried. Let
every thing die 'cept you and me. VIII
you be mad II tell you that want you
TO be my wife?'
"No, won't be mad but ! can't tell
you that I will be. am always going
70 do just what pap says. IL he says
that mout marry you, wy, am sure
that | will"
"Hummin' bird that lives on honey,
whar Is yo' pap?"
"He is out in tho field gittin' the hogs
outen the turnips."
"Mockin' bird that sings the song OF q
perfumed soul, will 60 and see your
pap"
lie found the old man in the field.
Barnes could not have stepped into o
drawing room and posed AZ an ornament,
still he was not Unlocking. He had set
out SO much tobacco that his shoulders
were stopped and had cut so much grain
with cradle that no walked with Q
swing, but the expression OF his face
was kindly and his voice soft and per-
suasive.
JEFF talked some time before stating
the object OF his visit, and when he did
declare himself, the old man, instead OF
showing oifensc, quietly remarked:
~ reckon young folks know what Is
suited to ther taste, but they amt
allus got the best articklo OF Judgment
Come and see me Mt the house to-
morrer."
jeff called the next day. Now, said
the old man, II have found out that
Minnie loves you. but that don't satisfy
me for all my years OF trouble and anxi-
city about her. Don't you think We
oughter take that inter consideration?
OF course you do. Well, now, here's my
idee. You know Jacob worked like the
mischief for Rachel, which was no more
than right, considerin' tho fact that
Rachel's father had raised the girl, and
l tell you what IL is, the sooner we git
back to them Bible days the better 1t