The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-12-27
THE ADVERTISERS
 DAILY SHORT STORY

\ Ss This Is bit of plain history. and the reader whose mental appetite cravcs ad ventures favored with the essence of l heroism and self-sacriice will save him. self disappointment by passing 1t by. Il IS It may be said. the plainest of plain history.
 John Delwin. the hero, Is a man who selis groceries. Formerly he was an or- dinary boy of numerous freckles, then a delivery clerk in the village store of which he was later part owner. His life, so far as his acquaintances can judge, has been a psalm from the beginning. When he married Emma Minkler he wore the customary black, and the bride was attired in the customary white, and congratulations upon the happy event were many and sincere, just as the vil- lage newspaper said. So far as Is known no hearts were broken or even bruised in the case. John wanted good sensible band. They were married. Everybody was satisfied.
 Theirs was the most commonplace of courtings. He escorted her home from church one night, and they stood for a time at the front gate while the little god of love performed his duty. They did not realize the solemnity of the oc- casion. otherwise he would have talked less fiuently of butter and eggs, and she would have subdued her references to the starching and ironing of shirts.
 It was fate.
 John said to himself that there was a girl who was practical. 6 girl we'll calcu- lated to comfort a man who worked for his daily bread. Emma said to herself (mark the concidence) that here was a man who was practical, man who subjects of thought. And from that mo- ment the compact between them was virtually sealed
 He called upon her Sunday evenings regularly after that. They attended en- tertainments at the village hall arm in arm, hailing with especial satisfaction the coming of stereopticon shows. At times he harnessed his delivery horse to a top buggy, and they took long rides.
 A year passed before he asked her to share his fortunes. Scarcely an instant passed before he received his answer. He kissed her then, and they were very happy.
 from unengaged ones. Come and see ma often. John, for I shall be Lonesome without you. Come Monday. Tuesday and the other days"
 member couplet he had laboriously committed to memory; "I'll-I'll do it"
 Do" said she
 70. will,' said he.
 Thus it came about that whenever bus mess was a bit slack in the store John girded up his apron, which bore salera- tus brand upon its bib and went forth to call briefly upon Emma. And he nev- CT failed to find her husy with househo'd work, her round white arms barred to the elbows, her fingers often bede "ke with dabs of dough, her face flushed by the heat of the kitchen fire. And he said to himself fervently, in much the same spirit that characterizes the stock burst of gratitude in the more thrilling of love tales. What a prize I've won! What q girl she Is! o, my.' And he walked upon air in his leaden deliberate way straight to the wedding day.
 Emma was not beautiful. She was not witty. shc possessed not those qualities which throughout the pages of a ques- tionable literature have made woman at oree the despair and joy, of the, mascu- gloried in 1t. He himself had not been a success at holding up one end of even five mi nutes conversation with the more dashing of the girls who attended these girls He was never able to quite free himself from the suspicion that they were making fun of him. He pitied the brilliant young chaps whom they married.
 And 1t was So also with Emma The brilliant young chaps (adjective used in the purely complimentary sense) voted her dead dull without dissenting voice. that may be in the human form. She was utterly without power to set the strings of the gilded male harps in mo- ton. And she sniffed in her sensible solid way. declaring that she hoped the Lord would have mercy on the poor creatures that married them-with the emphasis strongly on the pronoun.
 So she was married to John. and John was married to her. and. as has been stated. everybody was satisfied.
 It was. so far as casual observer might see. Il marriage without ideals. John and Emma were lacking fin imagi- ne ton. He saw in her a hOmemaker pure and simple. She saw In him a breadwinNer free from undesirable attri- butes. At least they thought they saw each other thus. But idealism is an in- sidious thing, given to the donning of strange disguises. It had crept into the heart of Emma unawares. and into the heart of John
 Another year passed. during which John buIlded a square dwelling with no nonsense about it. and set a row of hard naples along the front walk, and pur- chased a COW. Then he bought simple
 Saturdays story JOSEPHINE" by Opi