Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-08-27

greater honor an that MS ancestors
descended direct from kings an en-
perors. They couldn't agree noway,
an they just made up long enough to
pick a new quarrel. I've heerd tell
how they'd talk peaceful-lile about
the politics of the country till they got
to goin' about ancestors, an then in
five minutes they'd be shakin' their
sticks in each others faces an calm
one another liars.
"But this didn't seem to make no
difference with their children They
Jest played together like brothers an
sisters. When they was no bigger'n
! up to my knee they'd talk about lovin'
one another an about gettin' married.
The old doctor and Mr.. Goddard
laughed at this an forgot to quarrel
| sometimes about their ancestors Jest
| to see the little ones maxim love.
"They seemed to be born fur each
other. an everybody SAID they'd get
married some day. But when Mr. God
dard died somebody said his son had
Inherited his disease an that he wasn't
long fur this world. Nobody seemed to
know Jest what the disease was, but
they said 1t was incurablc an some
thing not to be spoken lightly of.
But about that disease of Mr..
Charles Goddard amt so sure. Old
Dr. Stetson was quite riled about it,
an he said he wouldn't let his daugh-
ter marry any man that had it in his
system. Mr.. Charles got angry an
went away. He was gone for five
years, an folks hereabouts said the
match was broken off. 1t did look that
way fur time.
"But when the doctor died Mr..
Charles turned up ag'in an lived in the
old house Jest as If nothin' had ever
happened. He made up with the doc
tors daughter, an they've been comm
an goin' together ever since. There
was hopes for time that they'd make
n match after all. But there amt no
tellin' jest what may happen. He new
er seemed to be quite the same after
comm home. He was pale an quiet
like, jest as If that disease was a-de-
velopin' an takin' hold of him.
HE brought doctor back with him
to look after his health. He'd met the
man somewhere when he was trayelin'
in Paris, think-an' this fellow jeSt
watches Mr.. Charles all the time. He
lives over there in that old brown
house. It's haunted, people round here
say, an spirits come an go every
night. But young DR.. Squires don't
mind that. he laughs at spirits an
says he amt afraid of 'em. Besides,
he likes such a place, fur then people
won't be botherin' him in his stud
les. He don't like to have folks rum
MIN after him. He's been studyin' Mr.
that will astonish the world. Then
he always said he was poor an
couldn't afford to rent good house.
he got that house fur nothin', an
guess Mr.. Charles pays him well
enough to live without starvin'.
II amt maxim no criticism of DR..
Squires, fur he's smart man an does
Mr.. Charles plenty Of good, but he
shouldn't have gone on SO with Miss
Stetson. He's good lookin', an he
amt good lookin'. He's too dark an
Turin lookin' to suit my tastes, but he
makes an impression on the ladies'. 1
suppose they likes man that don't
look like other men.
II amt certain but Miss Stetson
likes him better now than she does Mr..
Charles. He's always SO polite an at
tentive to her, an he's got an air Of
mystery bout him that seems to charm
her. Mr.. Charles amt blind to things
either. He knows which way the
wind is a-blowin', but he don't do
nothin'. If he'd go in an try to get
her, l think he'd win. But he don't.
an the doctor does. Mr.. Charles seems
to be standin' aside while this furrin
friend Of his gets the girl an all her
money. Mebbe it's because of that old
disease. He's waitin' fur the doctor
to cure him Of 1t afore he asks her to
marry him.
"But there amt no harm of expressin'
an opinion between us. DR.. Squires
won't cure him until he's married Miss
Stetson, an then it will be too late"
With this wise conclusion my new
friend the coachman finished his story
and pulled away full ten minutes in
agitated silence.