The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-08-28
HOW BROWN NET HIS WIFE.
lie Saw Her Name ON an Easter Egg
which lie Bought.


1t does not often happen that a hen
an ordinary two-legged domesticatcd
fowl-becomes the indirect cause OF a
very interesting Yet had Il
not been for one of this feathered spe-
cies living on a farm in Kansas. which
laid an egg "A few days previous To the
Easter Sunday of 1898, Maggie Ballen-
tine Of Montana, Labette county. kan,
would probably never have met Ernest
Brown Of 61O Sandusky avenue. Kansas
City. and become his wife. This par
ticular egg is the pivot around which
the romance of this couple Is WcaNed.
Miss BaIlentine's father keeps a grocery
in Montana and did "A big business in
eggs. lie was i'm the habit of buying
this product of the barnyard from the
farmers in large quantities and selling
them again to commission houses. In
the spring Of '93 he sold n large guam
THY in Kansas City. Maggie helped to
pack them. one Of the crates contain
ing eggs shipped from Ballenttne's store
went to Mr.. Brown, who, by the
also keeps "A grocery store. As Brown
was unpacking them On Easter morn
ing his attention was attracted to an
egg on which was some writing. He
picked II up. "M-a-g-g-i-e. Maggie,
B-a-l-l-e-n-t-i-n-e. B~allentine,' spelled
Brown. Montana. Kan Some fool
girl looking for a Chump.' he muttered,
and was about to put the egg in the
bag he was filling. But he thought
| again and laid it on the end Of the
counter Then he went on with his
work and forgot all about it. The next
morning Brown was helping the boy
dust the counters. His buster struck an
object that rolled. 1t was the egg.
Brown looked AT # again and this time
put ii on a shelf behind "A pile of canned
goods. -Four months later he found the
egg again. There's hat blamed egg,
said Brown: Il don't seem to be able
to lose it. I'll just keep IT,"
Two more years went by and the egg
was still unanswered. one day il OBJ
truded itself on his peace again by fall
ing on his desk as he was making out
a statement of account. I'll just set
tie this thing now and for all he said,
though she is probably some other fell
lows wife by his time" And he wrote
a brief note on the back of a counter
bill in pencil telling Of his finding the
egg and enclosing his address. In four
days he had an answer She was still
Miss B%allentine. They wrote to each
| other often then for several months and
finally exchanged pictures. During the
fan festivities Of 1896 this Kansas girl
came to Kansas City with the throng.
The neNt day. on Investigation bent,
she called at 93l Independence avenue
and saw the original of the picture she
had. She asked him for a drink of
water and he gave II to her. She was
sure Of him, for il was the same place
and his name was OF the sign. II
seemed to him that he had seen that
face somewhere. but il was not until
| she had left the store that he decided il
must he she. Then he ran out breath
less and c~oatless to find her, but she
was gone. That very day he wrote her
a lpttcr-a feVprish letter-tcIing her
ne had seen either her or her ghost.
The letter was waiting FOR her when
she reached home. She answered il inn
her
deception and timidly intlmated To
young Mr.. Brown that If he felt like
visiting Montana soon he might find
her there. The very next Sunday caught
him there. So did almost any quantity
OF succeeding Sundays in the Is months
that followed and on June 10 last hC
went down for the last time To see
Miss Rallentine, for he abolished her
name hat day and brought her back
with him as Mrs. T.. Brown.