The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1901-12-12
TIE .E'x'H for
Fwy ~ W. yrs " "
" 4 T. e. 4 I'll
BY d. X. TALNrADGE.
Copyright, 1901, by Authors syndicate.l


u farmer, young and good to look
upon; but he lived to the age of 40
years without marrying, which was a
shame, rs any one of several buXom
lasses in the Singing river district
admitted readily when the subject
was preached in confidence.
There he is said they, echoing
the sentence of their elders, Giving
alone on a fine farm all his own, a
big bank account, a figure like that
of the strong man at the circus,
face handsome as the lovers at the
theater, going to waste! Dear, dear!
What can the man mean?"
The answers to this question were
two in number. One, he was bash
ful-so bashful that the mere
thought of coming to close quarters
with girl filed him with horror;
the other, he cherished in secret an
affection for the daughter of a grain
buyer in the town of Riverton, at
whose home he had visited on
number of occasions when corn was
coveted by the grain-buyer and the
growers of the commodity were
10th to sell. The girl had been most
gracious to James; indeed, she had
shown him marked attentions; and
so impressed was he by her charms,
which really were many, that he
dreamed of her by night and thought
of her by day until he was quite UNI
able to dream or think intelligently
upon any other subject.
He knew she was not for him, be-
cause even had he possessed the
courage necessary to an avowal of
his passion, he could not have hoped
to compete with her other suitors,
who were men of polish and educa-
ton. He was aware that there were
many of these suitors. He was sur
prised that there were not more. He
could not understand why the whole
world of men, who were not so I'M
fortunate as to have contracted al
lances prior to seeing her, did not
PROSTATE themselves before her, as
he would gladly have done had he
dared.
Every week he scanned the list of
marriage licenses published in the
Riverton News, his heart pounding
like a runaway trip-hammer until
the fact was established that she was
still untaken. Then he sighed from
the very bottom of his mighty lungs
and wondered how long his happiness
would last Think of that! The
simple consciousness that she was
married to no one else was happiness
to him.
Now, there is a theory held by
many people of intelligence that
matches are made in heaven. 1t does
not look altogether reasonable in the
light of history, yet it must be adj
mitted that the holders of the theory
have much ground, in the way of
isolated instances, to stand upon,
Love making is not always necessary;
meeting of the souls upon the
street or at a dinner table is some
times sufficient to accomplish every
thing needful up to the drawing OF
the contract.
As a matter of fact, the grain-buy-
ers daughter had fallen in love with
James Murchison the first time she
saw him,-he was so big and hand
some and rich and dependable and al
together different from other men.
But fortunately James did not know
this. Had he known it the chances
are that he would have sold out and
run away as fast as he could to end
his DAYS in misery and the great
north woods, were he owned nice
bit of land. Such a blessed thing il
ignorance!
1t was his custom during the game
season to carry with him, when he
went to his work in the fields, shot
pun-an old fashioned, muzzle-loading
piece which he had owned as boy;
and one afternoon he discovered that
his supply of shot was exhausted.
Therefore he went down the road to-
wards a neichbor's, intending to Dor
row handful. Nothing warned him
of his fate; nothing caused him to
change his courses; on he strobe,
straight to the end of his agony-for
love, especially unspoken love, is that
and nothing else.
He had just stepped foot upon the
bridge which crosses Singing river
when from up the stream he heard
he sound of women in distress. His
instinct told him TINT they were in
distress; otherwise he would not have
Known, for the language of women
had been as a sealed book to him. He
stopped, listening. And while he stood
there a fleeing form in white came
INTO his vision, and a choke came into
his throat, and tremble came upon
his limbs. The form was that Of tha
erain-hnyer's daughter, and behind