Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-11-13
| A DEFLECTED
Diff BY William
OOEL J. Hampton
Copyright, 1901, by w. J. hampton


"Why didn't l marry Mirandy
Howe?' exclaimed Hiram Hostetter,
flushing angrily in response to taunt
from the hostler. "S'pose you ask Milt
Burgess over there why he didn't marry
herr
The little crowd loafng in front of
the livery stable in the country town
pricked up it's ears and concentrated
it's interest on the hOstler and Mr.. Hos
letter, Nh. Burgess in the meantime
becoming more intent upon the corn
cob pipe he was labOriOusly construct
ing.
"Hows that, Milt?" inquired the
hostler in the same haunting tone. Ev-
identity he knew more of the inner his
tory Of Hostetter and Burgess than the
others did, for they were all curiosity
and had no comments whatever to
make. Both men were considerably
past middle age and had come to the
town several years before from the
hill country, bringing no credentials
other than a desire to better their con-
dition and a fair ability to do so. They
were sober, honest and industrious,
and beyond that their acquaintance
took no concern. The hostler in his
more prosperous days had made a
number Of trips into the hill country,
buying horses, and had heard some OF
the legends of that section
"Oh, you git it out of Hi if you kim"
81 tn hn11t
ing UP from his work.
81 never did hear the straight of it,
said the hostler, the haunting tone Civ
ing place to one of soft persuasion,
land I'm sure these gents ought to
know it just for the sake Of your rep
utations. Don't you think SOP
"Well, I amt objectin'," admitted
Mr. Burgess, eff Hi wants to tell about
it,
''You tell it, Milt," pleaded Mr.. Hos
letter.
''No, you do it, Hi" insisted Mr..
Burgess 81 kin make a better cob
pipe than you kin, but you kin outtalk
me. You know that's what Mirandy
arays said"
Mr.. Hostetter's face flushed. partly
with pride partly with embarrassment.
eff you rely want to know the per-
tickelars,' he said, land Milt's willin',
l reckon l might as well tell it SOS
you'll git it kerrect. You see, me and
Milt was both courtin' Mirandy fit to
kill and murder, and it was nip and
tuck atween us fer two year er more.
AS Milt says, | was talkiner man
than him, but he owned farm, and
there is women that sees more in a
farm than perlite conversation, other
things bein' equal AS fer me and
Milt, retrospective of substantials, Mi
) randy liked me-
eli was a heap sight better 1ookin'
in them days than he is now" eX
planned Mr.. Burgess, whose personal
beauty was not, to put it mildly, exact
ly phenomenal.
Much obleeged, Milt," said Mr.. Hos
letter modestly. But, as l was sayin',
Mirandy kinder liked me a shade bet
ter, and with that and my talkin' was
neck and neck with Milt's farm. 1t
: KEEP gittin' from bad to wuss 'twixt me
and Milt. though we'd been pardners
fer years, SOS lords the last we got
riled every time we met up with each
other, and folks begun sayin' there was
as likely to be funeral on the creek
as a weddin'. Mirandy seemed to in
joy it, though, and KEEP us on the tenter
hooks, smilin' fust one way and then
t'other, and aggin' us on all the time"
"NIirandy could be the aggravatin' est
critter," commented Mr.. Burgess half
to himself and dreamily, as out of the
dead past.
Much obleeged, Milt," acknowledged
Mr.. Hostetter LAS | was sayin', things
KEEP gittin' more skeow- vowed, and
me and Milt KEEP gittin' closeter and
closeter, and like as not we'd a clinched
some day right where we met, but Mi
randy packed up her duds and went
over into the admin county to teach
winter school, and when she was gone
me and Milt SHE'D off for awhile and
didn't have no grievance ag'in each
other, leastways not in sight. Mirandy,
so we heard, had q sight Of beaus
where she was teachin', but she never
told nobody at home. about her bust
ness in that line when she come back
three er four times visitin'. The school
lasted three months and when it was
out Mirandy showed up ag'in, and was
list as smilin' at me and Milt as ever
-smilin' er, | reckon, fer before we
knowed where we was at we had fit,
tooth and toe nail, fer her, right in the
road. Neither one of us got the wust,
but both of us got it purity bad, and so
we agreed to shoot it off with our shot
guns and settle it fer once and ALL"
Mr.. Burgess stopped work on his cob
pipe long enough to chuckle audibly at
something or other which Mr. Hostel
ter's remarks had suggested.
"Much obleeged. DIilt," said Mr.. Hos
letter, smiling himself. LAS l was say
in, we agreed to shoot off the prize,
and the live man left over was to git
the gal. You see, each one of us was
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