Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-08-12
THE MITIGATION OF MISS NERYY.
How Miss Merry Turned the Tables Her COWBOY Lover First
snybbing Him. end then Falling in Love with Him.
BY MAY BELLEvILLE BROWN
IIIIJIJJIJIIJII-J

full, and the hitching-posts each teth-
cred it's saddled horse. There were
high-heeled boots with jingling spurs,
reckless-looking sombreros, cartridge
belts and full holsters, as well as leath-
er and befringed leggings, but the
crowd about the gray and weather
beaten cottonwood building was de-
corous one.
Even those who came and went
through the swing doors OF the Cow
boys Rest down street did so in sub
dued way. Had a stranger, expecting
vociferation and reckless shooting,
questioned the state of affairs, Timber
Jack, the erstwhile Bad Man OF Wax
haw, would have explained.
Don't talk too loud, er Miss NarvyIl
git after ye She don't like a racket
when she's sortin' the mail"
The men lounged and talked, ex-
changing tobacco, the news OF the
range and frequent libatiors. Suddenly
the postoffice door opened, and there
was hush. An erect, well-built woman
of about thirty-fve stood there. The
sun caught the ripples OF her red hair,
turning them to copper; her mouth
was set in a grim line as she looked
sternly across the crowd.
"You Samuel Smith" Her voice
drifted commandingly even into the in
ter!or of the COWBOYS Rest. Your
broncho's scratching itself against the
south wall fit to knock the house over.
If you men amt moro careful you can
not hitch here at all.
A dozen men sprang with alacrity IN
answer to her complaint, and as many
more reproved the owner of the Of
Tending animal, who was Smiling Sam
to all but Miss Nervy, and who meek
ly 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 goddess
godmotheEs. These she came to pos.
sess only in a moderate degree; also
from Minerva, perhaDs-she Inherited
q temper.
Her father, early widowed, had be-
taken himself and his young goddess to
the plains of the setting sun, whsre in.
the heart of the great grazing country
he established a small store at a trad
ing point on one of the great stage
lines. He died while his daughter was
yet young, the general opinion upon
his taking off being epitomized by 81
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 reggelate
every lirin' one O. u.s." Timber Jack
would complain. "Jaws us eff we don't
change our shirts, er eff we run our
hosses er take a hand at quiet little
game. Allays two kinds O things is
Hrong-them we do, an them we don't
don't do-so anyway she's sure to skin
u.s."
Despite their fault-fnding, the men
who frequented Waxhaw secretly ad'
mired and gloried in the possession
of Miss Nervy. The very fearlessness
and the high temper that rendered the
contraction of her name fitting one
caused them to respect her. She was
neat and businesslike; the goods In
her little store were irreproachable;
as postmistress she was accurate; her
arraignments, if severe, were USUALLY
acknowledged to be well grounded,
and, above all, she was a woman.
Today the crowd that awaited the
sorting of the mail displayed, with
all it's decorum, suppressed excite
ment. After much discussion of ways
and means whereby Miss Nervy's Sc
verify might be lessened, some of the
more daring ones had hit upon the
scheme of furnishing their goddess
with a suitor.
Love-" declaimed Timber Jack to
the campfire circle-"not the philan-
derin' flirtin' that most O. us has done,
but reggelar, squashly love, that means
tyin' up to the same post softens
the hardest-hearted, which means Miss
Nervy, lords the whole world, which
means us. Well choose likely duck
to b'siege our fair postmissis, an trust
the rest to him an Providence"
After much deliberation, Tom Ketch-
um, who had been Nervy Tom until
Miss Merry wrested away his laurels,
was selected as the Horatius Of Wax
haw.
81 s'pose it might as we'll be me as
any one," he remarked, in tones Of
resignation. "I'll die some time, any
way, either by shootin' er broncho-
Dustin, an eff it'll help the gang any
to have it come by red-headed lightnin,
all right"
Hes never baked at proposition
Wit. firm a bob-cat up" said Timber
Jack, exultantly; "an' eff he causes
Miss Nervy to s'render, he'll be good
to her. We don't want to s'press her,
understandin', merely to-er-to miti-
gate her, so to speak.
Again the postoffice door opened,
n.i again she Of the auburn hair is
sued an ultimatum.
"Such of you as expect any mail may
come in now-single file, remember.
No, Thomas Ketchum," holding up a
warning hand, "you amt had even a
circular from whiskey-house in a
year. You stay out"
"But want some terbacker," ex-
postulated the man.
"Wait till the mails distributed"
she snapped. I'm not storekeeper
now; I'm the gov'ment's representa-,