Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-05-12

know, ma'am," said I, staring atthat
leg.
"And its Tyour wedding day.
says she.
" Which is just what makes this
little difficulty Of mine intensely in
teresting,' said 1.
"Oh, isn't there some way to sur
mount the difficulty p"
| can surmount pair of crutch.
es," said but, hang it, ma Jam, ]
don't want TO be married on crutch-
| es -
4 It's awful to think Of" cried
| Mrs. Brown. And then | heard hel
leave the door and go slowly down
the stairs.
/ I" To be married in church at two
o'clock, and only leg and a half to
stand on II groaned. ooh Sam
Sam | don't see how you could
have had the heart to do it."
/ | couldn't understand il at first.
had always used Sam we'll, paid him
| good wages, and he had seemed per-
fectly contented with his situation,
and served me faithfully until now.
| Suddenly an idea struck me, and
the whole cause OF Sans perfdy
was revealed to me.
"By heavens it is Slympkins !" /
yelled. "Slympkins is the cause OF
all my woe. He bribed Sam to steal
my leg, on this, my wedding day,
and leave his insufficient prop in its
place"
Now it is very natural to Suppose
that the reader would like to know
who Slympkins is, and if he will on
ly be patient | will endeavor to en-.
tighten him.
Jim Slympkins is, or was, my riv-
al He is about my own age (thir-
ty-two), and is the only son of his
father. who, by the way, is the most
wealthy man in barcelona. Conse-
quently jim doesn't do anything but
smoke cigars, drive about town be-
hind his splendid grays and devote
himself to the ladies generally.
Farzedona is noted for its pretty
women. Statistics show that there
are more pretty women to every
square yard of ground In Farzedona
than in any other city or town in the
world.
Well, when | returned from the
war, and established myself in the
halls of my fathers, | somehow, in a
very short time, found myself vio-
lently attached to seventeen of the
most beautiful ladies of barcelona
and singular as it may seem, they
were the very young ladies whom
Slympkins was counting.
To be sure Slympkins had, or was
expecting to have, much more wealth
than l could boast of, but he hadn t
my face, you know, or anything like
it. Furthermore, the ladies have
been, and probably always will be
fond of the military, and Slympkins
was not military man.
But what raised the very deuce
with Slympkins was my wooden leg
When that wooden leg walked in
Slympkins had to walk out. Not
that the dear creatures loved
Slympkins less; but, "Ah, me, Cap
tain Boomerang. with his wooden
leg, was SO chawming you know"
Yes, was charming. Anybody
with half an eye could see that
Slympkins saw it distinctly, and il
was very painful to him.
1t was good thing for Slympkins
my return to Farzedona. You see
he had contracted such a habit o.
rowing from flower to flower, that al
last it had become an impossibility
for him to settle upon any one par.
ticular rose.
But took the wind out of hi:
sails, and before | had been in towr
a month, he was glad to concentrate
all his affections upon one lovely
flower.
Unfortunately for Slympkins, thi:
flower happened to be the choices
one in my collection OF seventeen
AMI so you see, when he concentrated
his affections, | did the same, and
before he had an opportunity to OF
fer his heart, | laid mine at her@feet,
and she accepted it, and gave me-
hers in return.
l was sorry for Slympkins, out
what could l do? If he had chosen
Miss Smith, Miss Brown, Miss Jones
or, in fact, any one but Miss Amelia
Seymour, all would have been well
But it was really absurd for SIymp
kins TO think that | would allow hi N
or any other nan to marry Amelia
at least while l had wooden leg
Yes, | had won her, and poor
Slympkins was fairly wild with rage
He had sworn to be revenged, but |
laughed at his threats. You see,
didn't know then how he was going
to be revenged.
l saw it now very distinctly, en-
this the morning of my wedding day
and l rocked myself to and fro in
my rocking chair and groaned, and
believed that short wooden leg will