Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1892-02-11
KlNGSBORO'S PUZZLE.
a Very Satisfactory and Roman
tic Solution.

Nobody at Kingsboro knew what to
make Oft Deacon Turner, the oldest
inhabitant, said that during his earth
ly pilgrimage he had soiourned at
numerous towns. but in no one of
them had any young man who dressed
nicely and did no work turned out
well. Capt. Brown, who worked hard
but managed so badly that he was
never out of debt, glared savageIy
whenever he saw handsome Joe MALI
son with his hands in the pockets of
his neatly fitting coat, and took ac-
casion to remark to the first person he
met that he wished the old days in
which people who had no visible
means o. support were prosecuted
would return again.
Squire Ripson, who kept the post
Office, admitted to certain astute ques-
TONERS that 10 Madison never received
letters, so it was impossible that any.
one was sending him money with
which to support himself in idleness.
Suspicion even ran so high that Bill
Bridger, who was the only apothecary
and candy seller at Kingsboro, and
who had 10 Madison for quite steady
customer, made it rule to examine
very carefully every banknote that 10
offered in payment, lest haply the
handsome do-nothing might be circu-
lating counterfeits. The married wom-
en- at Kingsboro, who had to work as
hard as women almost always do in
new towns in young states, carefully
pointed out 10 to their sons as an ex-
ample to be Stunned, except so far as
personal neatness was concerned.
But the Kingsboro girls differed from
the rest of the community in their es-
timation of 10. He might be indolent
in fact, they knew he was, for he
might almost always be seen on the
main street of the village, sauntering
along, while other men were at work
but he was handsome and he dressed
with real taste, and his breath never
smelled of liquor or tobacco, and he
was always polite, and he never was
awkward or i'll at ease or presuming
when in the society of ladies, and he
seemed to understand all his fair COM
panions so well. In all these respects
he was quite different from most of the
Kingsboro boys, SO that when good
mothers warned their daughters
: against young men who could only give
fine words in proof of affection the
damsels experienced strong misgivings
as to what they would say if 10 Malli-
son were to propose.
But 10 saved them the necessity of
deciding any such question. He pro-
posed to nobody; he made love to no.
body; he seemed to have no special
favorites among the girls of Kingsboro.
He never even nirted. He seemed to
heartily enjoy himself when with la
dies and to express his gratitude SO
deity as to leave no one word upon
which to base suspicion of any
stronger sentiments. And he did not
stop with conquering the hearts of all
the Kingsboro girls. Without any
seeming intention to do SO, he won the
hearts of few of the elderly women
in the town. They did mot mean to
give countenancc to a snowy idler, but
somehow, when 10 would coax some
bad or fretful child to take walk
with him and then send the child home
with head full of Bible stories and a
mouthful of pretty songs, the mother
of the child would reluctantly admit
that the handsome young do-nothing
did have, a real good heart
There was not at Kingsboro any
club, that institution so industriously
hated by all good women, but there
was gathering place which fulfilled
all the requirements of club, and that
was the post office The mail stage
was nominally due at seven in the ev-
ening, so that half the male inhabitants
congregated in Bill Burth's saddle
shop, which formed the ante-room OF
the post office, Immediately after sup
per, and they usually enjoyed two
hour season of conversation before the
arrival and distribution of the mail
gave them a hint to go home.
Subjects for conversation were not
very numerous at Kingsboro, and as
the few native characters with any
salient points had been thoroughly dis
cussed during the many sessions OF the
men who waited for the mail, the ar
rival of 10 Madison was perfect god
send. 1t is hardly necessary to say
that 10 found but few companions
among the Kingsboro men. The young
men hated him for estranging their
sweethearts, and each of the older men
was afraid that 10 might marry his
daughter and come under the paternal
roof for support.
One cool night, several weeks after
JOS appearance at Kingsboro' the
opposing theorists as to JOS character
4 = .--- .o,-v, arad aud very