St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1891-06-06
WINNING A WIFE.

WNN1IN0 a WHE
Mr. Claymer. Of Texas and Hia
Remarkable Trade.
Everybody said that Ben Claymor w.s
. ''crank," and no che thought % morc
strongly than Marian Harper, who had
been the object Of hts eccentric atten-
tion for many months. She. being q
student of human nature, was calmly
amused with this odd freak" - she
called him.
HE is a puzzle. Amt Jane. she said;
II don't know whether to think him Q
genius or IN idiot. Sometimes I'm
more than half-inclined to believe the
latter" z.-,4. .-
When Clsymcr called on Marian. n
would seem that he took no note Of
time, and only the broadest Of hints from
her would arouse him. Then he would
smile good-humoredly, and say: whats
the use Of going anywhere, anyway7
just about the time get to feeling set
tied and ut homo, somebody tells mo "a
60. Poor little Joe! Move @'rr-Ss
For several mouths his visits would
be regular and often, and then. cease a.
together. while for weeks he would
confine himself closely 70 his work.
Marian paid no attention to these sud
den falls Of temperature, having long
since ceased to wonder at anything he
did, and when. after about . months
absence. he reappeared. she greeted
him rs usual and never called him 70
account for his neglect
Mr.. Claymer was . struggling" jour
nalist. whose fortune was yet to be
made, and Marian was the daughter Of
q distinguished lawyer in good circum-
stances Perhaps this Is the reason
why Claymer never indulgcd any tender
sentiments in all his long talks with
Marian They discussed the tariff.
labor question. science and religion.
and Marian proved herself thoroughly
mistress of all these weighty subjects.
being an industrious reader who always
kept posted" She captured the
intellect of Ben Claymer thus. just as
her sweet womanly ways had con-
qucred his heart Claymcr was . poll
tician ito the bonc," and enthusiastic
friends said that he should enter poll
tics for himself instead of spending all
his time and energy in working for
others This Claymer refused TO do.
and continued. with the greatest good
humor. to play jackal to inferior lions
much after the manner of Sidney Car
ton.
'.Hc has no ambition" Marian said
to herself Dear me! II / werc his
sister or his mother. or anything,
wouldn't stir him mp. though! Ihave
no patience with people who hide their
lights under busheL"
Once. when they had been discussing
the marriage Of a couple Of their &C
quaintances flor one of Claymer's odd
(?) traits was that he took great inter
est in little gossip. and speculation con-
cerning the affairs Of people In gen.
eral). Claymcr said: -
"Wcn, think Parker did very wrong
to ask Miss Webster to share his lot,
which said lot Is = myth. and all she
will be called upon to share will be .
stuffy room in a second-class boarding
house: she leaves q comfortable. pleas
ant home. where everything Is Is she
likes it, and expects to find greater
happiness in q ten-by-fifteen room
which overlooks poultry yard I
should never ask woman TO share my
Tot unless it was every bit Is good %
the one she left"
"Young men shouldn't expect to begin
where the old ones left Of. When mn
and pa Joined. their fortunes. their colo
were a log cabin with
dirt floor. and a twcnty-dollar gold
piece. Pa owned the mansion, and mn
brought him the princely dover. When
] hear them talk over those good old
times,'I feel sorry for commonplace,
well-to-do persons who get married and
prose through life without any real
trouble or pleasure either"
"You may be right, but that Is not
my idea of fun I think poor man Il
. selfish brute when he wants . partner
In poverty. OF course e was different
when your father was married; Il was
rather the fashion to be poor In those
times, and people didn't mind Il much" |"
"Poverty win never 60 out of faSA-
ION, laughed Marian. s'unless Bellamy's
plans are adopted"
miss Marian" said claymer. SOL
emnly, after several minutes of thought
'1et me ask ycu aquestion In 'rithmctic.
What would be . fair exchange for .
girl who Is worth her weight In gold.
and 1--WE hundred thousand dollars n &C
tual cash?" -r~-x7
"A United States senator with .
sixty-three ounce brain" |" promptly, re-
piled she. with . twinkle in her eye.
ClaymeSs countenance dropped sew
eral degrees below zero and he an
swered, quietly: Correct; 70 up head. I"
After that convers alton Ben Claymer
had another stay at home spell, and
Marian saw him no more for three
This was the longesf spell he
had ever had She was on the eve Of
her departure for . European tour. and
she was thinking: "How hske to leave
without bidding friend BENJAMIN good
by" when she heard TIE click Of tho
gate latch and turned TO sec the tall,
STOPPING form OF Claymer com
ing up the gravel walk.
"You'rc just IN time. Sir Tfuant,"
she called to him from the balcony.
"Yes." said he. Il have Just heard Of
your intended tour. How / envy you!
A European tour is the next thing to .
trip to the promised land in my list
How can you leave us all 50 long; and,
by the way. how long shall you stay?"
His tone was light and CHEEKY. Marian
would not own to herself that shc was
tn see him in such appcr-
cnt good spirits. but she was 1--WE in
tend to be gone three years Ours will
not be flying trip; we win take our
time and learn n 0reaf DIAL I havA m