San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-07
DAN MASON'S ONLY LOVE.

Once had hopes it might O. souned right.
but now, now it falls heavy on my heart, an
makes me think o times that's gone 1t
brings 'em all back in my mine-Bill, Their
SOUR, an Minnie, Their squir's darter; but
of em all Minnie comes fust / amt never
hearn er name like so well as hern Iuse to
say it over an over cause 1t b'long to her, an
| do it Wit when thar's nobody to hear me.
But it souns so dif'unt now, nothin' like it use
to- After all, tho, thar's nothin' strange
erbout it, cause everything is dif'unt now;
uothin' looks like it use to. 1t may be me
that's changed. Yes, 'spect ID is. Wall,
had nough to change me, so faint surprisin'
after all, you see, when a man puts all his life
in somethn' an it's all of sudden took away,
it goes kind o. hard.
| was out in Calforny when l met em,
an SPUR Duff got me to go in partnership Ill
ther minin business. All wanted was that
chance, so we sittled things then an thar an
went to work SOUR Duff had ther puttiest
darter 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 shinyest eyes | ever seen, too-an'
was built up jist like a pony. | staid at Their
house, so me an Minnie was in one mothers
com'ny right smart. With her ham holm
tight to mine we use to go out under ther
trees sot down on Their roots an talk Their
longest times together. Sometimes I'd help
her pick up burrs an SIGH like, what she made
picter frames outer. Our heads would some
how git close unbeknownst to us, an I'd kiss
her fore knowed what l was doin'. Any
Teller would done like me, an perticer if they
liked her as did.
Their squir' had already gin her to me an
said we mus jis' wait a year; then we could
git marrd Min was fouteen 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 was glad of it, too. Thar
was er crosSn' what we had to pass over in
Ioin' ov mornin's to Their mines, an twas
sittin in SIGH bad way we had to stop an
fix it. Nos every mornn' she'd go long by
ne far as Their crossin', then go back home to
ZEN to dinner. use to wanter 60 back with
her, but that would er bin knockin' of work
fore | commenced, so couldn't. Any place
she wanted to go | took her, but that was
only natu'al cause she sot heap O. sto'e by
me, an l knowed thar want nothin' in Their
worl | love like her
She was bout es happy over ownin' me
IS / was FIR ownn' her, an she didn't kere
who seen us holdin's hans along Their rode,
neither. SOUR Duff tOle me | was jes Their
sind o man he wanted for his darter, cause
ne couldn't bear to see her git bad Teller for
husband. She was jes' Their one wanted
;now'd 'thout akin nobody's odds, an all l
was waitin for was Their day to roll aroun'
what made her fifteen. Then we was goin'
to git Their knot tied sure. | was all time
thiukin' bout how | was goin' to rig up in a
bran new allapacker cote an pants an red
top boots an n shinin' cap As fer Min, thar
want no tellin what she'd have, but l spect-
ed ther finest lot O. rigin' er man ever seen. 4
When ther crossin' was fixed so thar want
no more danger to go 'crost it, me an Their
SPUR went ON to work at Their 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 Their finest
nag he could git. Every time had er chance
| put in er lick or two o. currin' on her, an
by an by she was mos shiney es Minis
eyes. Min was Their puttiest sort o. rider, an
when she'd come by ther mines every man
would stop work to look at her pretty face.
She always loped hard an loud over Their
crOSSin' so I'd know she was comm, for she
knowd how l loved Their sight O. her. l
want good lookin' much myself, an it made
my heart awful light some way or 'nuther to
think she liked Their looks o me better'n Their
other fellers. Then er gin twas 'nough to
make me proud when know'd that Their on
liest girl in thirty miles er bout b7ong'd to
me. Every piece o. gold foun put it by
fer her. Her face was fore mine from morn
till night with that hansome smile, an them
eyes what was brighten air hunk O. gold l he'd
come a'crost yit. On her ham she wore Their
incest sort of silver ring l he'd give her, an
she always hilt up that ham so folks could see |
she wored Dan Masou's present
Every time l looked at it | 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 vase ring, an that she had to have. Once |
| sprained my knee joint an was laid up two |
weeks at Their house-ther best weeks | ever |
know'd, too. Most every mint she'd come to /
see how | was gttin' erlong, an at night she'd /
talk an laugh so I'd fergit all erbout Their |
rackin' in my knee. While / was laid up | |,
took some bark from Their big trees an made a I
rope big an strong. When l got well 'nough |
| made swing under Their biggest tree 'roun'
an faSten'd er piece O. chain on to it so
'twould rattle. Their mines was only er little
ways off, an wanted to know when she was
swingin'. Whenever l hearn that chain rat
tie l felt better to know she liked somethin' /
he'd fixed, an thor best times ov all was when
we sot IN thar together.
l sent for Der weddin' ring six months
b'forehan', Sc as to git it on time. l tried to
git her size, but she didn't pear to know what
her number was, nor what finger to measure
on, so l jeS' tole Their man ter sem er girls
ring, an he sont it. 1t come in three months
all safe an well, though Their box what hilt it
lyal bod oh rNIa had