Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-01-08
KISGsBORO's PUZZLE

Nobody at KIngsboro knew what to
make Of II. Deacon Turner, the Oldest
inhabitant. said that during his earthly
pilgrimage be had soiourned at numerous
towns. but in no one OF them had any
Young man who dressed 50 nicely and dad
no work turned out we'll. Captain Brown,
who worked hard but managed so badly
that he vas never out Of debt, glared say
agely whenever he saw handsome 10 MI
lison with his hands in the pockets Of his
neatly fitting coat, and took occasion to
remark to the fist person he met that he
wished the old days in which people who
had no visible means of support were pros
ecuted would return again.
Squire Beaten, who kept th3 postOtfoe,
admitted to certain astute QuestiOners that
10 Madison never received letters, so it was
impossible that anyone was sending him
money With which TO support himself III
ldleness. Suspicion even ran 50 high that
Bill Bridger, who was the only apOthecary
and candy seller at Kngsboro, and who
had j. Madison tor quite steady Gus ON
er. made 1T rule to examine very careful
" every b4nknotc that 10 offered IN pay
ment, lest haplV the handsome do-nothing
might be circulating c yunterfeIts. The
married women al King 5bor0, who had to
work az hard as women almost always do
IN new t1wn= in young states, carefully
pointed out 10 10 their sons as an example
to be summed, except so far as personal
neatness was concerned.
But the Kingsboro girls differed from
the rest Of the community in their estim9-
ton of Jo He might be ind oIent in
fact, they knew he was, for he might
almost always be seen on the main street
of the vil!aga, sauBtering along, while
other men were at We rk-hut he Was
handsome and be dressed with real taste,
and his breath never smelled of liquor or
tobacco, and he was always polite, and he
never was awkward Or Ill at ease or pre-
suming when In the society of ladies, and
be seemed to understand all his fair com
panons so we'll In all these respects he
was quite different from most Of the
Kingsboco boys, so that when good moLu-
ers warned their daughters against yOuug
men who could only give fine words III
proof Of affection the damsel8 experienced
strong misgivlngs as TO what they would
say If 10. Madison were to propose.
But 10 saved tn ~ the necessity of de-
Gliding any such question. He proposed
to nobody, he made love to nobody: he
seemed to have no special fav0riteS among
hlrted. He seemed to heartily enjoy him.
self when with ladies, and to express his
gratitude 90 deity as to leave no one II
word upon which to base suspicion Of
any stronger sentiments. And he did not
stop with conquering the hearts of Ill the
Klngsboro girls. Without any seeming
intention to do SO, he won the hearts OF Il
few of the elderly women In the town
They did not mean to give countenance to
a snowy idler, but somehow, when 10
would coax some bad or fretful child to
take a walk with him and then send the
child home with a head full of Bible stOr-
les and !, mouthful Of pretty songs, the
mother of the child would reluctantly
admit that the handsome young do.noth-
ing did have a real good heart.
There was not at kingsb0ro any club,
shat institution 80 industriously hated by
all good women, but there YVES a gather
ing place which fulfilled all the require
ments of a club, and that was the post
office. The mail stage was nominally due
at in the evening, SO that half the male
inhabitants cOngregated IN Bill Burth S
saddle shop, which formed the ante.rO0m
Of the postotfice, Immediately after supper,
and thev usually employ ed a two hour sea
son of conversation before the arrival aud
distribution of the mail gave them a hint
to go home.
Subjects for conversation were not very
numerous at kingsboro, and as the few ma
tive characters with any salient points
had been thoroughly discussed during thu
many sessions of the men who waited for
the mail, the arrival of 10 Madison was p
perfect godsend. 1t is hardly necessary to
say that 10 found but few companions
among the kingsboro men. The young
men hated him for estranging their sweet
hearts, and each of the older men was
afraid that 10 might marry his daughter
and come under the paternal roof for sup
port.
One cool night. several weeks after JOS
appearance at kingsboro, the opposing
theorists as to JOS character INDUCED In q
many-cornPred and very lively duel. lie
was during a season when sudden atmOs.
pherlc changes made most of the Kings
boro people bilious; otherwise the bitteL
ness with which the conversation qua Il
came 10 be oh lracterized would have bneu
explieable Squire Rlpson SO far forgot
his years ard dignity Of character to oall
Bill Burth, his temporary host. fool fo1
holding that 10 could be nothing worse
than a weil-to do young man enjoying him.
self, while BIZ, Notwithstanding the KIND
ness of spirit which was proper to a UIr
who was Methodist class leader, calico
the squire a liar Both men were on then
feet, inclining slightly forward TOWARD
each other and looking words whl1i
should never be spoken, when suddenly
the mail stage drew up with crash at TIT
door.
The postmaster threw a last partins
glare at the squire, and carried out the
mail bags, while the whole party followed
TO see who might be in the stage. me
light streamed through the open door int
the stage, and the villagers saw inside
single passenger whom they recognized as
Cincinnati salesman through whom some
of the King ,boro merchants o-casionall,
purchased goods. They were about Il
turn away IN mingled disappointment anc
resignation when suddenly 10 Madison
who had Just arrived at the office, sprans
into the stage aud threw himself upon tn,
passenger, while the stage turned quick
ly, the driver whipped up turiousIy Az
started for tie hotel.
The stares which passed around tn.
party of spectators were simply appalling
In their Darkness. At last Squire Ripsol
recovered breath enough to gasp.
''Detective!"
No such thing!" shouted Ben Burtl
through the delivery windaw. Its proba
bly, the poor little fellows brother, ans
he's been waiting for him weeks longe
than he eYOected to !"