The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1903-07-24
I was mail-day at waxhaw. The
j narrow street in front Of the -post

I was mail-day at waxhaw. The
narrow street in front Of the post
Office was full, and the hitching posts
each tethered its saddled horse.
There were high-heeled boots with
juggling spurs. reckless-looking SOM
breros, cartridge and fun hol-
sters. rs well as leather and befrirged
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 a stranger. expecting
vociferation 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
Nervy'll git after We. She don't like
racket when she's sortin' the MALL
The men lounged and talked, ex-
changed tobacco. the news of the
range and frequent libations Sud-
denly the post Office door opened, and
there was a hush. An erect. well
built woman of about IS stood there.
The sun caught the ripples of her
red hair, turning them TO copper: her
mouth was set in n grim line as she
looked sternly ncro~s the crowd
You Samuel smith, Her voice
drifted commandingly even into the
interior of the Cowboys Rest. your
broncho's scratching itself against
the south wall fit TO knock the house
over. II you men amt more careful
you can't hitch here at all"
\ dozen men sprang with alacrity
in answer TO her complaint. and rs
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. peThaps-sle in
herited temper.
Her father. early widowed. had be-
taken himself and his young goddess
10 the plains Of the setting sun. where
in the heart Of the great grazing
country he established 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 of being epitom-
lied by 81 Merristalk when he said,
How glad the old man must be to
lie good an dead. an whar Miss Nervy
can't boss him fer spell"
Blamed ef she don't try to regge-
late every Twin one o. u.s." Timber
Jack would complain. SAWS Us IL We
don't change our shirts. er If we run
our bosses er take hand at quiet |
little game. Allays two kinds y things |
is wrong-them we do, an them we /,
don't do-so anyway she's sure 70
skin u.s."
Despite their faultfinding. the men /.
who frequented Waxhaw secretly adj I
mired and gloried in the possession
of Miss Merry The very fearlessness
and the high temper that rendered 4
the contraction of her name a fitting \
one caused them TO respect her. She
was neat and businessliIke: the goods
IN her little store were irreproach-
able; M pusfmistress she was accu-
rate; her arrangements, il severe,
were usually acknowledged to be well
grounded, and above all she was .
woman.
To-day the crowd that awaited the
sorting Of the mail displayed. with
all its decorum, a suppressed excite
ment. After much discussion of ways
and means whereby Miss Nervys
severity might be lessened. some Of
the more daring ones had hit upon
the scheme of furnishing their god
dess with a sutton.
Love-" declaimed Timber Jack 20
the campfire circic-''not the phiian-
derin' fiirtin' that most o. us has done,
but reggelar, squashy love. that
means tyin' up to the same poat--
softens the hardest-hcarted. which
means Niss Merry, lords the whole
world, which means us. Well choose
. likely duck TO b'siege our fair post
missis. an trust the rest TO him an
Providence"
After much dc,iberafion Tom
Kctchuln. who had been Merry Tom
until Miss Merry wrestcd away his
laurels. was selected - the uorstius
81 Waxhaw. !