The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1903-06-19

| 10 wait, and for week before she
called, in company with her mother, he
had 1t all mapped out as to how he
would receive her. His calculations
received a bad setback, however.
Mr.. Thatcher we want to look at
some Of your best tablecloths," an
nounced the girl, as she looked him
straight in the eyes, and his heart went
down like lump Of lead, and he saw
those golden whiskers floating in the
air about him.
During the hour she was in the store
Minnie remarked that it was a back
ward summer; that the huckleberry
crop was very poor; that rain was bad
ly needed; that she couldn't under
stand why shovels were down and ia
blecloths were up, and the uncomfOrt-
able young man could recollect four
teen different occasions when she
logged In the name of MIR. Thatcher"
He was so put out over events that
he sold a 60-cent hoe to old Mr.. John
son for % cents, and astonished Aunt
Mary Phillips by asking her 90 cents
ydIu lOr l-cent calico.
AS matter Of fact, Minnie intended
to dc her share toward making up
when the proper time came, but she
wanted to punish the young man first.
Four weeks after the buying Of the
tablecloths, and without the young
couple having spoken together since,
Farmer Davis and wife set out one
day for a ten-mile drive to Cassville,
intending to come back before dark.
While they were returning they met
with an accident, and it came about
that Minnie found herself alone In the
house when night fell.
She didn't begin to get nervous until
about 8 o'clock, but then a call from
a tramp frightened her into locking
all the doors and imagining all sorts
of things. The tramp had taken cold
bite and left, but knowing that she
was alone he would doubtless hang
about and break into the house.
Farmer Davis had a shotgun, and
that shotgun was kept loaded with
bird shot to kill owls and chicken
hawks. When Minnie was worked I'D
to such a nervous pitch that she i'm
agined every gust of wind to be the
mufiled footsteps of a tramp she got
down the gun and resolved to perish
like a true heroine.
Five minutes after this resolve was
taken some one knocked on the front
door. 1t was the tramp, OF course.
Two minutes later he was at the
kitchen door. Then he was heard
muttering and grumbling and getting
a drink of water at the we'll
With her heart In her mouth and
the shotgun ready to fall from her
trembling hands, the girl waited. The
tramp whistled and then sat down on
the doorstep.
But only for a moment. Then he
arose and seemed to move along to a
kitchen window. His game was to
raise the sash or smash the glass, and
shutting her eyes and trusting that
her grave would be kept green, Minnie
pointed the gun somewhere or other
and pulled the trigger.
There was a fash, roar and a veil.
Scared as she was, she detected some
thing familiar in the tones Of the veil
and when her name was shouted she
opened the door to admit Burt Thatch-
er. He had not only heard of the ac-
cident that detained her parents. but
had made use of 1t to drive out to the
farmhouse and tell the girl how sorry
he was for making chump Of him
self.
He was not at the window when the
shot was fired. but walking away from
1t. Most Of the charge went wild, but
about a dozen Of the little pellets pep
pered his shoulders and quickened his
longing to kiss and make up. Minnie
opened the door to speak his name and
fall into his arms, and most of the shot
had worked out and the marriage day
been set when the old folks reached
home, and the mother elevated her
hands and rolled up her eyes as she
exclaimed:
For the land sakes. but how things
do come about In this ere world of
ours"-Boston Globe