Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-05-21
SHORTY LOCHINVAR.

fear of successful contradiction, that
at no period of a mans existence
loes Cupids dart strike so deeply
and cause so much sleeplessness as at
| the age of one score, or thereabOut
[ have known quite a mum ber of
young men of about that age to be
deeply, passionately, desperately in
love. and ultimately to recover and
go through similar but less agonizing
experiences several times thereafter.
But, as i said, they never in a sin
gle instance suffered half SO much
from subsequent attacks as from that
first experience. Not that they love
less, but their capacity for suffering
has diminished-which is something
20 be thankful for, for a man who
could suffer at each recurrence of
the complaint as much as he did at
the first would die Of the second or
third relapse.
The victim of this first attack is a
pitiable creature, particularly when
there are obstacles, which is usual
ly the case.
l Ialways feel very sorry for chap
in this sort of a pickle, and felt par.
5icularly sorry for poor Shorty Flem.
ing. l knew / ought not to encour.
age him, but he was such a good
little beggar and so much in earnest
that would have defied a far more
severe man than his brother Jack
for his sake Besides Shorty was not
one of the chaps who get over any
thing easily, and l knew failure
would go hard with him. Moreover,
Jack was not the only Obstacle.
Sam Parker, Shorty's Nettie's papa,
also objected He was not a stern,
unreasonable parent by any means,
but his objections, even if presented
good naturedly, were none the less
formidable.
Parker was a shrewd Maine Yam
kee, with total disbelief in the abil-
ity of womankind to use reason, and
a record of some sixty years of devo-
ton to an earnest hustle for the fasci-
mating but elusive American dollar.
Nettie was the only daughter and
the youngest child in a family of
seven, and the old man, close fisted
as he was, had spared no expense in
educating her literally. 1t was only
natural, therefore, for him to object,
especially as Nettie was barely eight
cen, and had only been out of school
a few months.
He called on Jack one afternoon,
not casually, as he usually called, on
his way to or from town, but with a
direct purpose Jack was under the
weather, and lay on the sofa was
reading TO him when Parker walked
in.
"Howdy, Flelnin; laid up, air YET
Howdy, Faber; purity warm, amt iti
Thanks, ! will set a spell" And he
sat down on the edge of chair and
began tracing figures on the floor
with his big spur. He seemed nerv
Gus and / rose to leave the room,
but he waved his hand and said
"Set daown, Faber. Set still. Guess
| amt got nothin t say but what ye
mout ez well hear"
Here the old man stiffened up in
his seat and stated the object of his
mission in a good natured but thor
oughly decided way, closing with:
'Naow, Flemin, amt no 'bjection
{ tn leetl feller-not one mite; he's
tiptop good boy, an all that. But
'tain't in reason th't I'm goin' t spend
more'n three thousan dollars eddica-
tin young 'un, an then let 'er 60 an
marry mother young 'un thout AIRY
red. An that's what it'll come tew,
fust thing we know"
Now, Parker's remarks were in the
nature of a revelation to us. OF
course we knew Shorty had put in a
good many evenings at the Parker
ranch, but we had never guessed
that his visits there had any signifi-
cance. A courtship, too, with six big
brothers loafng around is a difficult
matter.
1t is easy enough TO fall--just fall
lin love with girl if there is no
one to hinder. But with six young
men, with whom one is on good
terms. sitting around and occupying
a large portion of ones attention, it
is a matter Of getting in love, which
accomplished, is rather more serious
than q mere fall into the same.
Fleming sat up and ran his fingers