Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-04-26
CHAPTER Mi.

on the gray mare. lie nad rldden out
that afternoon partly for the benefit Of
his health, partly to maintain his char
acter as overseer of the farm. As he
rode on slowly he thoughtfully touched
the ears of the gray mare with his
whip.
mo, Bon, my boy" he addressed
himself, don't propose. You can't
marry for four years. on account of
the Will Then why propose? Wheedle
her tweedle her, teedle her, but don't
let her make sure of you. When a wo-
man." said Bonaparte, sagely resting
his finger against the side of his nose
-"when woman is sure of you, she
does what she likes with you, but
when she isn't you do what you like
with her And r said Bonaparte.
Here he drew the horse up suddenly
and looked. He was now close to the
house, and leaning over the pigsty
wall, in company with EN-, who was
showing her the pigs, was q strange
female figure. 1t was the first visitor
that had appeared on the farm since
his arrival, and he looked at her with
interest She was tail pudgy girl
of -, weighing $50 pounds, with bag
gy, pendulOus cheeks and upturned
nose. She strikingly resembled Tant
Sannie in form and feature, but her
sleepy good eyes lacked the twinkle
that dwelt in the Boer woman's small
orbs. She was attired in a bright
green print wore brass rings in her
ears and glass beads round her neck
finger rs she looked at the pigs.
who is it that has comeT asked
Bondparte when he stood drinking his
coffee in the front room.
why, my niece, to be sure" said
Eant Sannie, the Hottentot maid
translating. shes the only daughter
of my only brother Paul, and she's
come to visit me. She'll be n nice
mouthful to the man that can get
her." added Tant' Sannie. Her IA
ther's got $4,000 in the green wagon
box under his bed and a farm and
5000 sheep and God Almighty knows
how many goats and horses. They
milk ten cows in midwinter, and the
young men are after her like flies about
a bowl of milk. She says she means to
get married in four months, but she
doesn't yet know to whom. 1t was
so with me when | was young" said
Tanf Sannie. "I've sat up with the
young men four and i've nights a
week, and they will come riding again
as soon as ever they know that the
times up that the Englshman made
me agree not to marry in
The Boer woman smirked compla-
Gently.
"Where are you- going to-" askeu
rant Sannie presently, seeing that BO-
naparte rose.
"Ha! I'm just going to the kraals.
I'll be in to supper" said Bonaparte.
Nevertheless when he reached his |
own door he stopped and turned in
there Soon after he stood before the |
little glass arrayed in his best white |
shirt with the little tuclzs and shaving
himself. He had on his very best trou-
sers and had heavily oiled the little |
fringe at the back of his head, which, |
however, refused to become darker. |
But what distressed him most was his |
nose. 1t was very red. He rubbed his |
finger and thumb on the wall and put |
a little whitewash on it; but, finding it |
rather made matters worse, he rubbed |
1t off again. Then he looked carefully |
into his OWE eyes. They certainly were |
i little pulled down at the outer cor |
ners, which gave them the appearance |
of looking crosswise, but then they |
were nice blue. SO he put on his best |
1,;r ;aI- 70
supper, feeling on the whole well salts
fed.
aunt" said Trana to Tant' Sannie |
when that night they lay together in |
the great wooden bed, "why does the |
Englishman sigh so when he looks at |
meT'
Hal. said Tant' Sannie, who was
half asleep, but suddenly started, wide
awake. It's because he thinks you
look like me. l tell you, Trana," said
Tant' Sanuie, ''the man is mad with
love of me. l told him the other night |
l couldn't marry till En- was 16 or
I'd lose all the sheep her father left
me. And he talked about Jacob work
ing seven years and seven years again
for his wife, and of course he meant
me-" said Tant' Sannie pompously.
"But he won't get me so easily as he
thinks. He'll have to ask more than
once"
"Ohp said Trana, who was a lump
ish girl and not much given to talking,
but presently she added, "Aunt, why
does the Englishman always knock
against a person when he passes
them?'
That's because you are always in |
the way" said Tant' Sannie.
But, aunt" said Trana presently, 81
think he is very ugly"
''Phughw said Tant' Sannie. Its
only because we're not accustomed to
such noses in this country. In his coun-
try, he says, all the people have such
noses, and the redder your nose is the
higher you are. He's of the family of
the Queen Victoria, you know" said
Tant Sannie, Weakening up with her
subject, "and he doesn't think any
thing of governors and church elders
md such people. They are nothing to
lim. When his aunt with the dropsy |
lies, he'll have money enough to buy
Ill the farms in this district~
"Oh.' said Trana That certainly
made a difference.
Yes" said Tant' Sannie, 'and he's
)nly IL, though you'd take him to be
80, and he told me last night the real
'eason of his badness"
Tant Sannie then proceeded to relate
how, at IS years of age Bbnaparte
lad courted n fair young lady; how a
leadly rival, jealous of his verdant
ocks, his golden flowing hair, had,
with a damnable and insinuating de-
'eption, made him present of a pot
If pomatum; how, applying it in the
evening, on rising in the morning he
ound his pillow strewn with the gold
N locks and, looking into the glass,
)eheld the shining and smooth expanse |
which henceforth he must bear. The |
ew remaining hairs were turned to q !
'ilvery whiteness, and the young lady
married his rival.
And" said Tant Sannie solemnly,
If it had not been for the grace OF
God and reading of the Psalms, he
ays, he would have killed himself He
ays he could kill himself quite easily
f lie wants to marry a woman and she
Won't"
a lie wereld," said Trana, and then
hey went TO sleep.