The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1903-04-16

do bout It, as said before
att does not matter; to be with you
is enough
"'Waal, 1t does matter, too. I'm a
lone an lonely man. but IL worse comes
to worst / can perfect myself. You
may be strongern me, but you can't
lure me. What would the world say
If II knew bout thisr
az can trust my souls companion
"By this time Is'bel had dlsmountcd,
an, SELLING Reub's hand in her own,
she says:
"T'm goin' to set right here till you
promise to be my own
"All I've got to say Is that you've
laid out a long program for yourself
"They sot' there, an sot. Is'bel
'peared to be c'ntepted jus to set an
hold his hand, an Reub tried to whis-
tie an act zit he didn't know she was
there. Every once in q while he'd try
to pull his hand. away, but she'd grip
1t the tighter, an then he could hear
her whlsperln' low to herself, oh, my
b'lovedr -,
after a while the stars come out an
begun to play hide an seek with them
through the branches of the pines. 1t
got chilly, too. an once Reub suggest
ed that he would git blanket for
Is'bel, calc'latin' that he could make 4
run for II II he could git start, but
she only says, 'Oh. my b'loved! an
hung right onto his hand, She was
hard hit Is'bel was.
"'Bout dusk, too the bullfrogs over
by the spring struck up, an as it grew
darker an darker they became more
m more interested in the couple. FRS
a little fellow would chirp out an say,
What's he goih' to do bout itT Then
the little feller's mn would ask his pa,
What's he goin' to do bout itT an his
pa would c'nsider for minute, give It
up an ask anybody that could answer.
What's he goin' to do bout itF Ieas',
that's the way Reub said 1t seemed to
him.
"Then, long bout ten or 'leven o'clock
a big gray owl come an perched in the
branches over their heads, an pretty
soon he got Gurus an says 'Who-o-o"
an RcuD was 50 mad by that time that
he answers right IN. It's me, blame
you! what you got to say about itT
But Is'bel only kinder sighed an says,
Oh, my b'loved" She was hard hit,
Ts'bel was.
ut got to be midnight, an still they
sot there. Reub was most froze, but
Is'bel didn't seem to mind 1t, Bout 2
O'Clock, Reub says, he got sorter dis
couraged, bein' mostly an icicle by that
time. an''so he says to her:
"'Waal what do you want me to
do?'
"'only to be my own, my 'dorcd
ONE
"Reub want quite broke down yit.
so he says, "Waal, I'm blamed If |
willv But after an hour or two moro
he got plum tired out an made his las
argument. 4 don't want to git mar.
rled,' he says; L amt got 'nougA
money to sport a wife, anyway
"'You needn't worry bout that
bloved, Only say you love me an I'll
sport you
"Reub see he didn't stan no show;
so he inquiries, isullen like, WAL,
where do you want to take meP
"'To Parson Elders an git married
to once, b'loved.'
"All the way TO the parson's-seven'
teen miles It was-they walked, Is'bel
leadin' the horse with one hand an
Reub with the other. She didn't take
a single chance till after he'd admitted
to the parson that he took her till death
us do part an all the res of 1t. Then
she heaved a sigh an let go Of his
hand, tenderly sayin', My own
b'lovedy She thought constable
heap OF Reuben, Is'bel did. Reckon
I'd better meander."
The Old Settler "meandered," but
Mt the door he paused for q final re.
mark:
81 don't spose there's no happier
couple in Californy than Mr.. an Mrs,
Reuben Bannerton, or perNps I orto
say Mrs. an Mr.. Is'bel Bannerton,
They've been married seventeen years,
an has FIVE children, but she alters
c'nsiders Reub the frs and tenderes'
Of the lot, She's c'nsidble fond OF
Reuben, Isbel is" Then he "mean
dered."-- York Times.
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