Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1890-03-01
JUDY FILPOT'S DILEMMA.

had for the Squire, but were clearly
traceable to the love which they bore his
daughter, Judy. The two young men
wereso much alike, physically. that they
) might have been taken for twins. They
were tall, strong, and well-built; they
were black-eyed and long haired, sun
burned and hardened by exposure to all
sorts of hardships. Their resemblance
even extended to mental peculiarities.
Mark did not know long division from
short comings; neither did Job. Mark,
given the freest exercise of his arm,
could not, with charred chunk, have
written his name on the gable end of the
barn; neither could Job Being SO much
alike physically and mentally, 1t was
small wonder that they loved Judy, who,
by the way, was the handsomest girl in
the neighborhood. She was more than
merely handsome; she was bright, quick
to learn, and fiattering gossip declared
could knit pair of yarn socks or snatch
the feathers off a chicken as quickly and
as effectually as any girl in the COM
munity, regardless of educational advan-
tages. Judy loved Mark and Job, but
she could not decide which one she pre-
ferred. This inability gave her great
concern, and often at night while patch
ing her fathers brown jeans, or at even
ing when crouched in the slowly darken-
ing gold of dying day, milking the
muly COW, she would shut her eyes, bring
up the faces of her two lovers and at
30 ivlfn
but in vain; for when the gold of the
evening had darkened into the charcoal
of night, when old muly stood patiently
with one foot in the pail of milk, Judy's
love remained in equal division.
Old Flpot liked the boys, but, to have
saved his life, he could not have told
which one was his favorite. He was
willing she should marry one of them, it
made no difference which, and he Sc
cretly wished that one of them, still no
matter which, would die, so that the re-
naming one could make his daughter
happy.
Neither one of theyoung men was ever
able to see the girl alone, for they kept
SO close a watch upon each others move
ments that one making his appearance
at the squirrels house was sure to be fol-
lowed Immediately by the other.
One morning, just as the Squire and
Judy had arisen from le breakfast table,
voices in the sitting Re m announced, to
well-accustomed ears, the arrival of the
lovers. The old man and his daughter
went in. and following along the worn
habit cordially shook hands with the
-~so;+ou, o,,J bo1a tbap1 fool Yarfaaflu at
home.
1--WE have come, said Mark, to see
If we can't sorter make some arrange
ments.
"That's what we have" Job put in.
IT want Judy" Mark added.
$50 do I, said job
81 love her powerful, Mark observed.
81 love her just about the same," Job
declared.
Gentlemen" said the Squire, per-
plexedly stroking his whiskers, Idon't
see how we are going to fix this affair.
Judy, don't you, arter all, love one
Just little better than you do the other?"
az believe do, pap, she answered.
"Thar, we are gittin' at it. Now which
one is it?"
"That's what KANT tell, pap"
"Thar it goes again, an we are jest as
fur off as ever. Mark, amt you got
nothin' to suggest?"
Don't believe have. Job mout have.
mo, haint, lessen tits that she marry
me an be done with it.
"Yes; and / reckon / can make SIGH
suggestion in favor of myself, Mark re-
piled, and then half musingly added: II
do wish this thing was over with, fur 1
am behind with my crap an my farms
runnin' down, for have to watch Job so
close that"
"Jest the same with me, Job broke in.
"Wall, now," said the old Squire,
"suthin has got to be did, and did at
once, fur I'm tired of this here feverish
condition, as the Teller says. l have
hearn my gran'daddy talk about cases
like this that took place in the old times,
and they never failed to get at settle
ment somehow ruther. 1t must have
been by match of some sort-foot race,
rasslin' or shootin' I don't know ex-
actly how, but near as can ricolleck
the way that gran'daddy told it they allus
left it to be decided by some 'speriority
that one he'll over the other.
I'm morn willin', Job declared.
"What do you say, Judy9"
"Suits me, the girl answered.
"All right" said the old man. "We
ken now begin to see our own way c'lar;
shall it be rasslin'?"
They agreed that it should be wrest-
ling, and, going out into the yard, gave
themselves up to the contest, but the
fatal similarity again asserted itself, for
the two young men were of equal
strength and agility. Then they tried
foot racing, they were of equal speed;
rifle shooting, they were of equal skill.
"Wall, this do beat, and Ibeat it peart,
too, anything ever seed," the old
Squire declared. "Spozen you fling up
chip wet or dry?"