Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-07-25

TT was halliday at Waxhaw. The
/ narrow street in front of the post
office was full, and the hitching-posts
each tethered it's saddled horse
jingling spurs, reckless-looking som
breros, cartridge-belts and full hol-
sters, as well as leather and befringed
leggings, but the crowd about the
gray and weather-beaten cottonwood
building was a decorous one. Even
those who came and went through
the swinging doors of the Cowboys
Rest down street did so in a sub
dued way. Had stranger, expecting
vocfferation and reckless shooting,
questioned the state of affairs, Linn
Der Jack, the erstwhile Bad Man of
Waxhaw. would have explained.
Don't talk too loud, er Miss
Nerwy'n git after We. She don't like
aracket when she's sortin' the mail
The men lounged and talked, ex-
changed tobacco, the news of the
range and frequent ibations. Sud-
denly the post office door opened, and
there was a hush. An erect, we'll
built woman of about 35 stood there.
The sun caught the ripples of her
red hair, turning them to copper; her
mouth was set in = grim line as she
locked sternly across the crowd.
'You Samuel SMITH" Her voice
drifted commandingly even into the
interior of the Cowboys Rest. "Ypur
broncho's scratching itself against
the south wall fit to knock the house
over. If you men amt more careful
you can't hitch here at all.'
A dozen men sprang with a1acrity
in answer to her complaint, and as
many more reproved the owner of the
offending animal, who was Smiling
Sam to all but Miss Merry, and who
meekly led the pony away.
Juno Minerva her father had named
her, and he had fondly hoped that in
his only daughter might be united the
wisdom and the beauty Of her god
dess godmothers. These she came to
POSSESS only in moderate degree;
also-from Minerva, perhaps-she in
herited a temper.
Her father, early widowed, had be-
taken himself and his young goddess
TO the plains of the setting sun, where
IN the heart of the great grazing
country he established a small store
at trading point on one of the great
stage lines. He died while his daugh-
ter was yet young, the general opin-
ion upon his taking off being epitom-
lied by ST Merristalk when he said.
How glad the old man must be to
be good an dead, an whar Miss Nervy
can't boss him fer SPELL"
Blamed eff she don't try to regge-
late every ivin' one O. u.s." Timber
Jack would complain. Saws us if we
don't change our shirts, er eff we run
our bosses er take a hand at a quiet
little game. Aflays two kinds O. things
Is wrong-tAem we do, an them we
don't do-so anyway she's sure to
skin U.S.
Despite their faultfnding, the men
who frequented Waxhaw secretly adj
mired and gloried in the possession
Of Miss Merry. The very fearlessness
and the high temper that rendered
the contraction of her name a fitting
one caused them to respect her She
was neat and businesslike; the goods
in her little store were irrepeoach-
able; rs postmistress she was accu-
rate; her arrangements, if severe,
were usually acknowledged to be well
grounded, and above all she was q
woman.
To-day the crowd that awaited the
sorting of the mail displayed, with
all its decorum, suppressed excite
ment. After much discussion of ways
and means whereby Miss Nervy's
severity might be lessened, some Of
the more daring ones had hit upon
the schame of furnishing their god
less with a sutton.
Love-" acclaimed Timber Jack to
the campfire circle-"not the philan-
derin' firtin' that most O. US has done,
but reggelar, squashy love, that
means tyin' up to the same post
softens the hardest-hearted which
means Miss Merry, lords the whole
world, which means us. Well choose
a likely duck to b'siege our fair post
missis, an trust the rest to him an
Providence
After much deliberation Tom
Ketchum, who had been Merry Tom
.until Miss Merry wrested away his
iaurels, was selected as the Horatius
OF WaxEaw. ---.---