Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1902-05-11
Willie Jones, Trooper

EsS:E<3 300 go. 33S:S<33H.>:,.
was in store for him, and had swal-
lowed a pint of courage at the com
pany's store. She was the only person
on earth that he was afraid of, and well
he knew that her tongue was as fiery
as her hair. and that unaided with a
strong stimulant he could never defend
himself against her. When Willie saw
her blazing with anger he trem-
bled. and in attempting to strike as
dignified an attitude as the situation
and his condition demanded. he tripped
lover the edge of the carpet and meas
ured his full length at her feet.
What was said a that interview Will
not be repeated here, but at the end Of
item minutes Willie emerged from the
ipresence of the outraged maiden, with
IA lowering face that BODIED i'll to any
who might look ct him askance. He
made rapid strides for the company
lstore where he sought spiritual relief
Iity in adding a weeks debauch to his
disgrace he might have hoped to re-
establish himself in Sails affections.
While he felt that Sal had been too
resentful against his summary dispo-
sition of Morris, he admitted that for
reasons of his own reception of her dis
missal Of him as a possible sutton, she
had most logical excuse for keeping
him at a distance. for he knew that
from his sorrows to such good purpose
THAT almost caused a drought in the
wet goods line. When he came to his
proper senses a week later he discoV
Tered several ugly marks on his face,
the result of fistic disputes with those
who had had the temerity to sympa-
thize with him over the loss of Sal. Not
only this; he had squandered the
wealth that he had secretly been hoard
ing for months against the time when
sal would say yes. Now all was lost,
and his stock had fallen so low that
the question of its reha utilization at par
was very remote.
Willie was very meek after his return
to duty, and though ne found slight
consolation in calling himself many
varieties of fool the fact remained
that if it had not been for his assinin-
he had said and done things during his
weeks intoxication that had been re-
peated to her, and which would have
been resented by a woman who was
less a stickler for the proprieties than
Sal.
In commemorate contrition Willie
choked down his spirit of pride and in
dependence and indited the first letter
Of his life to the object of his affections.
He was not a scholar and his compost
ton was literary gem in that he
violated all known ideas of etymoIogy
and the rules of syntaX. However, al
ter much labor and waste of paper he
succeeded in declaring himself as fol-
lows:
deere Sal 1 hev ben thinkin' tibet I
was 'rong n if want thet mavrik
morris viii breng him to u if i hev tn
breng him with a rop' round his he'd.
he hev got only hat mushtash but if
, u Xix tn hev him i viii mex him cum
back tn u. 1 am sorry tibet i hev ben
drinkin' n if vii fergiv me viii jine
yure sunday schulz. n say sal luv
u better n thet galoct morris n ar
sorry tibet cut of his mushtash n vii
promis' tibet vii not cut the other sid
if he cum bak tn u, luv sal better
n better n want Il fer mi wig butt if u
want tibet other Teller i vii git him tn
u if it brake my hart. butt i don't lik
him fer he sed tibet yure hare was red
. der then roarin' borrealis tibet he saw
in 'laSka tn yers ago, don't no who
rOarin' bCrrealis is butt she is not mere
! so sud luking as u, n i vii brake any
lgalOots he'd that seys she is gud by
imy dessert blussunl, II Wen rede this
: letter u viii no tibet wilIum jones has
one hart thet beets tn times fer Il
: ionct fer me. Rite n let me no if !
want thet koyote morris, will brake hi.
he'd if he don't cum bak tn u, my gun
| n me is at Yer serVis, yUrs internally,
willum Jones'"
Willie closed his epistle with q neavy
u sigh. fer he felt that he was making
a great sacrifice in giving the one OBJ
i1rr nj his life tn a like Morris
70 who let a gun be pulled on him without
d pulling his own. However, he wa:
/ somewhat of philosopher, and rea-
p soned that Sal would see from his letter
g that his sorrow was deep and renorst
u for his sins sincere, and would take hin
IF back to her heart.
/ The days slipped into weeks and still
:; no reply to the letter that had causet
5. him such labor and the supposed sac
t. iifce that he had made. The truth %
u the matter was that Sal thought. will
4, the contrariety of her sex, that Will
K was too hasty in Offering to give her VI
10 to Morris. for deep down in her hear
re she loved the dashinS cowboy. All,
" wanted to punish him severely for hi
''carryings-on' as she termed it. Sh
q wanted him to make one more effort a
e reconciliation, when she would sweet.
iC forgive him. She. however, did no
: take Willie's pride into consideration
i for he reasoned that he had made on
lg manly effort to placate her and she hat
&c mot RESPONDED and was determine,
o that the next move should be made l..
ic her.
y one day the country was eIectrihs,
IS with the news that war with Spain hat
:. been declared and that the presIden
:; had called for volunteers. Willie d;
X net 1t first regard the var nth r,uc!
enthusiasm, Tor he was too mud