Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1903-12-10
Mr.. WILLIAM
(BUN1Y) SMITH
BY G. ~. ogden
Copyright, I@@, BY T. C. Mcclure


Tow Head Junction resorted TO the
primitive expedieut OF notwithstanding
them according TO their distinct physic-
al characteristics William Smith, the
wldUwar. was tall SO they gave him
the name " Shanghai, William Smith,
the bachelor. was short. and for TWEEN
ty years they had spoken 10 and of him
as Buuty. Neither enjoyed middle
name. and neither was reSourceful
enough TO supply a distinguishing int
tial The postmaster at Tow Head
Junction never knew whether a letter
was for Shanghai or for Bunty. He
could generally place postal cards in
the proper box by studying their con
tents
Buu,y by reason Of lack Of expert
tucc had matrimonial aspirations.
Shanghai. who lived at the other end
of The Nliage street was resting in full
enjoyment of the respite death had
given him from a somewhat oyerstren-
uous term in the yoke. When he tired
Of hi~ own cooking he went and stayed
wiki his married daughter a week.
tue Widow DuuuEru for three years.
He had gone over the ground and knew
SHE was ready % become a member OF
his household upon Invitation. Just as
De- had made up his mind to make his
f0rma proposal he received a matrimO-
IlaI paper through the mail. At least
b.. got il .nC Of the post Office, and il
u., #dd..-s.d 10 William Smith The
.ruur. I.., have Intended ii for Shang
La.
That paper opened II new perspective
10 HmLy. He never dreamed that the
matrimonial market offered such posi-
bIlirie~ II became plain to him that
h. had been tooling away his time with
the Widow Duunlgen, faded, somewhat
wriukIod and owning but twenty five
pyrcs of bottom land. Here We're Ia
dies the paper spoke Of them always
us ladies' who appeared willing 10
marry anybody, and some Of them had
$4,000 Ia cash. Bunty opened CORE
spuudvuyr To make sure his letters
would not fall into the hands of Shang
hal. be directed the ladies to address
them thus. William lBuntyJ Smith"
NjlUuu tBuutyI Smith soon began 10
receive no fewer than two letters from
each mail The superscriptiOn was 50
Enthusiastically feminine that the post
master mentioned II TO the ioungers.
They tuittcd Buuty and told him he
would prejudice his chances with the
Widow huuuigen II he persisted in his
lI.ulug with ladies hearts by mail.
Euuty laughed. He could marry the
Widow Duuuigeu any day. be thought
What he was after was bigger fish he
finally ~tted the choice down 10 two
According to their uncoutroyerted
statements one was widow with Sl2,-
UUO in mining stock, the other maiden
lady OF means. Her mysterious reserve
On the question OF means led Bunty to
believe she must at least own a bank,
POSSIBLY "a railroad. TO these ladies he
sent his photograph. taken ten years
previously. when he attended the
Grand Army eucampment. He also
gave them to understand that he was
aulc 10 support wife as wife should
Je supported and that he did not SO
much value means as a faithful heart
and a face free from wrinkles.
Bunty made progress. He arranged
with the twO women to meet him on a
certain day in the city, twenty miles
from Tow Head Junction, one at the
union station at one hour, the other at
the post office at another one was TO
wear q pink, the other Il white rose.
Buuty marked himself apart from all
mankind by tying red ribbon in his
lapel buttOnhole He did not 20 to
the post office that morning, but took
the 0l0 train for the city. When
Shanghai went after lis mail the post
master handed him letter. Amt for
Bunty. l reckon, he said. "as it's ad-
dressed jlst William Shanghai
opened the letter and read:
Dear WlgIam-Looking at tho map. l
see Tow Head Junction Is very near tho
city / ind the first train from the city
reaches Tow Head Junction fifteen min
utes before the train you Will leave on
gets there, SO I nave decided to go TO
Tow Head. Meet me on The station plat
form. ! viii wear pink CAROLINE.
Must be for Bunty," Shanghai re
hected as he set out to look him up.
Jim Daniels said be saw Bunty at the
depot and that he heard him ask for a
ticket to the city Before Shanghai got
there the $40 came. but the train from
the city had not arrived. AT the depot
they said II was thirty minutes late
Buuty was 10 meet Caroline ut the
union station In the city at 10 o'clock.
Caroline was the maiden lady with
means He had named l o'clock as the
hour for seeing the widow who held
the mining stock at the post office. The
widow also consulted time tables and
maps She found that she could get Il
train to Tow Head Junction that
would put her down there at $50 and
that she could return to the city at
noon She decided TO run out and look
tie place over So when the train from
the city which should have arrived at
Tow Head before Bunty left stopped
two women got OF. one wore pink
pinned 10 her bosom the other white
rose The one adorned by the rose was
rat short. broad faced and masculine
The tall woman scanned the men ON
the station platform There was not a
CLEAN Of red ribbon on any OF them.
lis Mr. William Smith here she
asked the agent.
That tall gentleman over there" hO
answered pointing out Shanghai, who,
having missed Buuty had forgotten
the letter and Caroline The fat wo-
man. who was standing near, with
hands on her hips and a valise be