Arizona republican., 1894-09-21
WINNING A WOMAN.
The Romantic Tale of a Veteran
 Commercial Traveller.

" Ilcu l WdS d llioiL O1 GIIi It marked gray-haired three-score-and tenitarian after the drummer had fin ished d rather unbelievable card story, ''I could shufie the pasteboards pretty fairly myself, and it was only the vet erans who cared to tackle me, and they were usually sorry for it after wards. I was not rich and proud then" he smiled softly, "and made most of my living selling. groceries in the south and west for Baltimore house. did the large towns as rule, but had few good customers in out of-the-way places, and I made it my business to- cultivate them and get around to see them at least twice a year. Among them was a merchant in Mississippi, and he had daughter who was one of the, sweetest, prettiest girls I ever saw. In fact she was so at tractive that 1 fell in love with her and tried to marry her, but she was silly like most women when they are young and sometimes when they are not so young, and instead of recipro- eating my affection, the affection of plain but honest man, I'll be shot if she wasn't wasting her affection on handsome bon, rein-that's French for good for nothing" he explained 'and I hadn't the slightest chance against him, although her father was on my side and did all he could to save her from .he man she would persist in loving. He was undoubtedly a hand some fellow and one whose manners but to men. With all his natural abil- ity, however, and attractiveness, he was utterly worthless; hard drinker, a brawler, a vindictive wretch and a notorious gambler. These qualities of the man were well known in that locali- ty and hisreputation was not unknown throughout the state, while up and down the river he was known on every steamboat for the big games he played and his success. He was the youngest son of prominent and highly respec- table family, and this to the girl seemed to offset his numerous defects of character.
 "Whatever it was, there was no question that the girl was completely infatuated with him, and finally she eloped with him. This act of hers broke her fathers heart and within a year he had died, leaving no property whatever, nor any family, as the girl was the only child and her mother had been dead some years. The loss or ab- sence of any property which might be ofassistance to the daughter did not affect her seriously, as her husband had some estate and managed by sue cessful gambling to maintain her in comfort the first year or two. With the death of the father and the mar riage of the daughter very naturally my interest in that locality waned and I lost track of the neighborhood and its doings for five years. Then I was called there on business and when stopped at the only tavern in the little village was more than surprised to find that it was kept by my former rival, whom, by the way, I shall call Jackson. He did not know me and ] don't suppose it would have made much difference if he had, for with all his faults he was not a jealous man. We'll I kept my identity pretty much in the background and made up my mind to see how the marriage had turned out. l got an inkling of it the very first night, when Jackson came ir just drunk enough to be ugly. He had changed much in the five years, and from being the handsome fellow he once was, he had become bloated, anc all the bad streaks in him seemed te have settled in his face. His wife had not seen, up to the time of his ap pearance in the evening. was sitting in what passed for an office and he wa. there cursing stable-boy. After ht had finished with the boy he called hi: wife from the kitchen where she wa. at work, and when she came 1T frightened out of her wits, as I could plainly see, never would have knowr her. She was thin and pale and bore every evidence of having received tho most cruel treatment. was shocked beyond expression, and it was no allayed by the way he talked to he. and ordered her around, once ever giving her a jerk by the arm tha brought cry of pain from her anc came almost getting me into th' scrap. I kept still, however, ant waited, and that night he grew S, ugly that she called in one of he neighbors. to serve as a kind of protec tion.
 ''The next day he was no better, bu he went off and did not return unti
 late. During the day she had chanc to see me and at once recognized me