The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1900-01-18
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
n =. e
: Mr.. Oddie'S Courtship. Z
n By sheela E. Braine. Il:
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
MIR. MARKHAM ODDIE was a model
BY Sheela E. Braine

mt r. MARKHAM ODDIE was model
wi ledger, an old bachelor, and a
heart-whole man. That is to say, he
was all three until the dhy-consider
ably past his forteth birthday-that a
special fate took him in hand, and
brought him face to face with the
younger of two ladies who had recent
dy come to live in one of the houses op-
posite.
They were evidently mother and
daughter; both were comely and the
1ast-named of the two had one of the
sweetest faces it had ever been Mr..
Oddie's luck to behold. She happened
TO drop a small parcel whilst walking
along their mutual road. and he hurried
after her with it. The smile with which
she received it went straight through
Mr.. Oddie's somewhat Anticipated waist
coat.
All the evening he thought of that
smile. When he went to bed, he en-
deavorcd, with the aid of three candles,
to get an impartial view of that region
on the top of his head where the hair
ought to have been, but now, alas, was
not. That bald spot had not troubled
him much up to that time; now he re-
garded it with mistrust.
Mr.. eddie lad led an amiable, pune
tual, uneventful existence, going TO and
returning from the city every week day
with regularity and dispatch-the kind
of person who is never asked for his
i. L fy,,,+ lN1 Of
and had no one dependent upon him;
the few relatives he possessed lived in
the shires.
Mr.. Oddie hadremainedIa bachelor all
these years possibly because nobody
had set to work TO marry him. it was
not that he objected TO women; on the
contrary, he admired the fair sex, as
whole, quite unreseryedly. But he had
never given his heart to any one par
ticular woman, and his landlady looked
upon him as a fixture.
The returning of that apparently in
nocent looking parcel marked an epoch,
Life was never the same again to the
little old bachelor. He had not watched
Miss IIeXham's gentle face and, we'll
developed but graceful figure for ten
days before he became convinced that
it was not good for a corn dealer to live
alone.
"a man wanted softening influences
about him''-here be hurled piece of
fried ham 10 the cat-"he needed gen
tie hand to guide and restrain him."
Mr.. eddie at this point discovered that
he had forgotten to wind his watch up
the night before.
The truth was, he was in love, and
with young woman with whom he had
never exchanged a syllable. He learned
her name from his landlady, an austere
person, whose mind was set upon a
curious form of religion. and who did
not take much thought about frivolous
worldly matters.
Questioned discreetly by her lodger,
this worthy but depressing person
could tell him little regarding the two
ladies who were now the object of such
tender interest to him. They were a
Mrs. and Miss HeXham, so she had
heard, and Mrs. Hexham was either
deaf or dumb, or it might be both, for
her daughter talked on her fingers to
her. and she answered. back in the same
way.
Mr. Oddie's courtship was a very de-
corous affair. In Spain, despite his
years, he would doubtless have adopted
ths role of an "iron-eater," as the
youth who goes counting under his
iaGy-love's balcony is styled.
But in sober, unromantic England,
tho sutton does not eat iron, or serenade
tho queen of his heart on the guitar.
He has to be properly introduced, end
tie little corn dealer, knowing this re-
spectacle custom, would have given
anything for an introduction which
would have allowed him to call and
establish friendly relations.
The months passed, and still he could
not get that thin but necessary end of
the wedge in. The mother and daugh-
ter seemed TO have very few friends,
ard never went out, probably on ac-
cont of Mrs, HeXham's af1liction. IT
was hard upon the daughter, Mr. eddie
thought, but he admired her all the
mpre for her self-sacrifice.
Miss Hexham became aware Of his
devotion, of that Mr.. Oddie was CON
vinced. When they met-and he took
care that they did meet pretty often
he ventured to raise his hat, and smiles
were exchanged. But there the affair
halted, 20 the poor little mans frequent
despair. lie could get no "forrader."