The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-08-22
Poor Jake.
~ say. Jake. have you axed herr
ssvUalf - Aos-st .o& aa xri+

~ say, Jake, have you axed her?"
wall, no, I hain't-not as yit.
The two strapping fellows finished out
the furrow, and with loud whoa
whaws." 'gee-haws," they turned their
horses round. and. com,as alongside each
other, resumed:
Take, believe yeef scared"
'-Shucks! Like ter know what er fell
ler'd be skaIrd er Nan fur! She's ther
timidest little re-headed gal ] ever did
see. Most apys they's sassy and tempery.
Tell yeer WHAT T"other day rode up
when she wus sittin' on the gallery SEWN,
and she run like er cotton-tail and knock
ed over enc Of the best cheers and broke
1t. Their folks guyed her. and she hid on
and did 'thout her supper. wus lowing
ter tell her to set the day that evenin'.
My crap got so grassy I hain't had no
time to waste on any tomfoolery: so /
hain't bin back tell you what. Sammy.
thar's not er woman living In skaird
Of. I never had much 'pinion, noways, Of
womenfolks. Never seed one yit but what
uld screech and run from er mouse.
No, stree! Thar's nothin' on the top
side er this earth I'm afraid Of. and Nan
least Of ell. Shucks."
He threw back his head and set the
echoes ringing with a loud guffaw.
wall" assented Sam. obviously. II
know she's not tempery, but. by Jacksi
when them little black eyes ov hern bits
ter twinkling. er fellows tongue gifts
twisted. tell you I'd ruther face er mad
bull than have ter set still and let 'em
laugh outright. I'd run, shot"
A fortnight afterward we are not SUP
prised to find him deliberately making his
toilet to meet that occasion-to all bashful
lads the lists OF courageous tests-to pop
the question" to the one woman Of all the
world.
With lavish hand he had applied loud
smelling, oily pomade to his unruly locks
that each particular hair might be held
In place. Then he carefully cleansed his
hands for the auspicious handling OF a
brand-new cravat.
Jake's silk sash tie was q bright red,
and his manly face was OF that rare cop
peras shade possessed only by youths
born and bred in our rich river bottom
lands. Jake had as finely proportional
hands as any six-footer you will find
anywhere, but they were cracked-nailed
and as rough-palmed as a corn shelter,
and just as he had deftly tied a true
love knot, a silken thread chung to his
fingers and in unloosing it he had the
misfortune to undo his work.
'T'll be dumbedI" he exclaimed, as he
looked at the reflection Of the pendant
red ends. He jerked his arms up and
down to overcome the tension Of holding
them up so long, and then began again.
A thousand little demons seemed to get
into those silken threads. They chung to
his rough palm, and puSckered the silk
tie. As fast as he unloosed one another
stuck.
shoot the thing!' he cried. looking with
blank despair at his reflected image.
Now, 1t was tied. but alasl It was not
the thing of beauty 1t had been. There
was nothing left but to pun on his blan-
kets cut in the pattern Of coat and vest.
Though 1t was hot day as his old
gray mare halted at the Identical spot
where she had been tied a hundred times,
any one would have thought he had an
ague, he shook so and was that cold.
"Git up, you fool" he mumbled. His
voice sounded so far down In his throat
It scarcely reached his mares ears, but
he struck her a singing blow and she
sped past the fence steps. Slowly he
came riding back and, unfortunately for
the poor mare, she stopped again. But
she learned lesson, and fifteen minutes
later, when Jake came up again, she
merely slowed up when she reached the
fence, and cast an inQuiring glance at
her master.
'Practicing for the wedding supper,
Jake?"
''Hey?" exclaimed Jake, jerking the grey
on her launches as he caught sight of
Sammy and Nan seated with suspicious
propinquity in the shade OF blackjack
thicket that had furnished the foundation
stumps Of the rustic steps.
81 say, are you gettin' up spunk to come
to our weddin' supper on the 1sth?"
Mans burst OF merry laughter sent him
speeding down the road like a clap CT
thunder does a scarey horse.-Dal!as
(Tex.,) News.