Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-02-10
TAKEN AT HIS WORD.

Are you mari 4 yety' asked an old
gentleman who Lad passed the three
score-and-ten milestone on the journey
of life of his young friend, Willis Hen
derson. whom he had not met for three
years.
mo, sir, not yet, was the reply; Il
am not able to take care of myself
properly. let alone support a wife"
But you might get n who would
help you. my young friend" continued
the old man.
"Ah. there is the trouble! OF course
If / could find some woman who was
able to care for herself and me, too, l
would talk with her on the subject;
but as il is | don't care TO exchange
single blessedness for double cussed.
ness. You have doubtless heard Of
those lines Of Josephine Pollard, which
breaks fortL in strains like this:
Don't think for a moment, Fred, It's better
To bind the hear IN a golden fetter;
Though many do H. many rue it,
And love Is a fearful witness 20 II!
There isn't a chance for pleasant weather
Where two are unequaIly yoked together;
So turn your back when money bewitches-
Marry for love and work for riches"
well, / reverse the doctrine in the
last line so as to read. Marry for riches
and work for love"
The old man shook his head and
turned TO speak with another friend
while waiting in the crowded little
room for the mail to be distributed.
AmOngthe b~ystanders were two ladies
richly clad. One was pretty. vivacious
and young, just creeping out Of her
teens. and the other, less handsome,
wal about six years her senior, and
they stood very near while Willis quot
ed poetry as a kind of justification for
his ceibacy.
Such were Miss Ole Murray, her
rich aunt. and the conditions under
which their attention was first directed
20 Willis Herdyson by the interesting
question of the old man and the unique
answer he received.
AS the crowd dispersed and the two
ladies walked down the street the aunt
said:
Il would like TO see that young fel-
low back up his assertion. / don't
think he has any mOre~dea Of marry
ing for money and working for love
than ! have Of receiving a pair OF
angels wings with which to sail across
the ocean next summer"
Il don't know anything about il,
aunty, ! am sure. should judge that
he was a poor fellow. with honest in
tentions and pure motives, but he
might have meant what he said"
Il want 10 see him taken at his
word"
That would be romantic Suppose
you try itr
Late IN the afternoon Ole and her
aunt took a stroll through town, and
by some means wandered into a store.
They recognized Willis. and on making
their way 10 his counter bought a few
trifiing articles.
During the following weeks hardly a
day passed that the ladies did not come
to the store. but there was no suspicion
aLlA-ncA ~ AAos a. R0oPAr hoAaAg ~
where they receive courteous treatment
from clerks, and Willis tried to excel
all Of his fellow clerks in ~pOliteness,
and thus build up a nice trade for his
employer through little courtesies to
customers, but toward the last a kind
Of spontaneous friendship seemed to
spring up between Willis and his two
patrons. and as they became better ae-
quainted Willis began TO call upon the
ladies frequently.
A romantic marriage had taken place
at the hotel one afternoon which fur
nisbed a bit of social gossip, and a
fate wiIled Willis had an engagement
with the ladies for a stroll that even
ing.
The fact seemed to open the way for
OHe's aunt to play her little venture
and pave the way for future events.
The subject Of marriage and its attend
ant responsibilities wa thoroughly dis
cussed ana finally wills VA asked for