Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-24

you naQn {. am not very quick at
seeing a joke, Professor, but p'r'aps
i can understand what you mean, if
you will tell me when you asked her,
and where you asked her to marry
YOU"
Gust now! Right here!" cried the
Professor; and before Hubby could in
terpose he had arisen from his chair
and had fallen on his knees before her.
Hubby looked at him with q startled
expression, then as the whole matter
dawned upon her she burst into a loud
laugh. The Professor looked up with
a grieved expression on his face. HUI
dy became grave instantly.
81 wasn't laughing at you, Professor.
| I'm sure I'm grateful for your esteem
and friendship, but it never entered
my head till this moment that you had
any idea of asking me to be your wife.
What made you think such thing pos
sible?"
| The Professor was quite portly, and
| 1t was with some little difficulty that
he regained his feet, and his face was
rather red with the exertion when he
had succeeded.
well, you see,' said he, 81 never
thought much about it till that city fell
Ter came down here to board; then the
whole town knew that you and 'Zeke
Pettengill had had a fallin, out, and
then by and by that city Teller who
Twas boardin' with your folks went
away, and kinder thought that as you
didn't have any steady feller-
Hubby broke in,-"You thought
was in the market again and that your
chances were as good as those of any
one else?"
Eyes, that's jest it." said the Profess
sor. "You put it jest as would have
said it, if you hadn't said it fust.'
"Well, really, Professor, / can't un-
lderstand what gave you and the whole
town the idea that there was any fall
ling out between Mr., Pettengill and my
lself. We have grown up together, we
have always loved each other very
much, and we have been engaged to
be married."
i 'since when?" broke in the Profess
sor, excitedly.
"Since the day before last engaged
; you to give me music lessons" replied
Hubby.
What the Professor would have said
in reply to this will never be known;
for at that moment Mrs. Mason opened
the door, and looking in, said, "The
Deacon's come"
Strout grasped his hat, and with a
hurried bow and "Good morning" to
Hubby, left the room, closing the door
behind him. 1t must be said for the
Professor that he bore defeat with
great equanimity, and when he reached
the great kitchen and shook hands
with Deacon Mason, who had just come
in from the barn, the; casual observer
would have noticed nothing peculiar in
his expression
WAL, Deacon" said he in a low
tone, "did you git the money!"
ooh, I've ranged bout the money"
said the Deacon; "butI had talk with
my lawyer, and he said it wasn't good
4 bizness for me to pay over the $500 till
the store was actually knocked down
to you Here's that note of yourn that
4 the town clerk endorsed las night.
Meow, when the auctioneer says the
store is yourn I'll give yer the $500 and
take the note I'll be up to the auction
by 2:30, SO you needn't worry, it'll be
!. jest the same as though yer had the
money in yer hand.
Strout looked little disturbed; but
thinking the matter over quickly, he
|. decided that he had nothing to gain by
arguing the question with the Deacon;
: so saying, BE sure and be on hand,
Deacon, for it's a sure thing my gettin'
that store, il I have the cash to pay
down." he left the house.
He went up the hill and turned the
corner on the way back to his board
ling house When he go. out of sight
of the Deacon's house he stopped
, clenched his hands, shut his teeth firm
), ly together and stamped his foot on
the ground; then he calculated in 9
! savage whisper, Women are wusserr
catamounts; you know which way 9
catamount's goin' to jump. | wonder
whether she was honest about that, OF
: whether she's been foolin' me all this
! time. She'll be a sorry girl when gil
! that store and 'lected . tax collector
: and git appointed postmaster. I've go
three tricks left, eff l have lost two
!. wonder who it was put that idea into
: the Deacon's head not ter let me have
tibet money till the sale was over.
y bet dollar it wuz tibet city Teller. Alb
ner says tibet he met Appleby on hi:
! way back to Montrose, and he told hin
7 tibet he saw tibet city Teller and thu
y Deacon drive off together from front o
= the bank Oh! nonsense, what woult
: the son of millionaire want of a gro
Gerry store in little country town lik'
: this?" and he went into his boarding
: house to dinner.
a A few moments after 2o'clock Strou
q could restrain his impatience no long
4 er, and leaving his boarding house h
= walked over to the grocery store. Quit
4 a number of the Mason's Corner pee
). pie were gathered in the Square, TO
i Ito them an auction sale was as goot
i as a show Quincy had not arrived
!. and the Professor tried to quiet hi
nerves by walking UP and down tn
= platform and smoking a cigar TIL
4 crowd had gradually increased, quite
# number coming In teams from Mont
rose and from Eastborough Centre
One of the teams from Montros
q brought the auctioneer, Mr.. Beers, wit
4 whom Strout was acquainted. He CAV
\ the auctioneer a cigar,an they Wake
v up and down the platform smoking an
u talking about everything else but tn
auction sale. It was a matter @
I. M n