Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1904-10-20
A Fool Streak
at Wigglefork
BY r. H.
Copyright, 1904, by Daily Story Pub. Col

rs a piece of dunn foolishness
Them fellers ought to have sense
enough to know Wigglefork can't sup
port two drays. | amt certain sure
it can support one. 1t appears to me a
boy with a wheelbarrow could attend
to all the drayin' business there, is
here, and then have time to cut the
family wood,-it does, by links"
Ezra Rollins seated himself in the
front doorway of the Wigglefork gen
eral store and cast a severe eye down
the street in the direction of the rail.
way station where two drays were
racing to the accompaniment of tink
ling bells. linen he rubbed his nose
and continued:
"Of course, just now while the quar-
ryin' business is goin' on so big, there's
more or less jobbin' around to do
pretty near as much as would make 1t
worth while for one man and a team,
but that amt goin' to last long. !
spotted that ledge Of rock down there
30 years ago, and got an expert here
to look it over. but he said twasn't
any use goin' into it; the stone was
practically worthless for buildin' pur-
poses So"-heN smiled dryly-"when
these fellers come along and wanted
to buy a couple of acres of my bluffs at
a good figure | just naturally closed the
deal before they had a chance to back
out. It's been a good thing for the
town, too" he added, refiectively.
"They've got II men workin', and
every one of 'em has got a good appe-
tite and enough wages to keep it salts,
fed. The Widow Ruggles is boardin'
nine of 'em. She says she's goin' to
take a trip back to York state this
fall"
Salem Tunk, who had driven into
town with a load of hoop poles that
morning and was spending an hour
with his old friend, the storekeeper,
suddenly Strengthened his shoulders.
"She is, heyT" he said. II reckon
maybe I'd better see if she can't pay
me for that COW | sold her ~lastfall."
"The girl bought clothes with the
profits" said Mr.. Rollins. "'Twas just
about then that Bill Elliott begun to
shine around her. and when a girls
got a beau she thinks she's in duty
bound to wear fancier clothes than she
would otherwise. I've got a notion the
Ruggles girls a kind of a fool. It's
along of her that Bill Elliott and his
brother Jim are maxim fools of them
selves with their drays."
20, 'tis?" Mr.. Tunk appeared inter
ested. Both got a hankerin' for her,
hey?"
Seem to have" The storekeeper
arose to wait on a little girl who
wanted a nickel's worth of brown
sugar, then reseated himself in the
doorway. "Jim's been overheard to tell
Bill that he begun maxim advances to-
wards the girl first, and Bills been
overheard to reply that nobody, not
ever the girl, seemed to know it if he
was maxim advances, and 1t didn't
make a dunn bit of difference. anyhow.
Twas Bills idea-the comm to town
and startin' up a dray line, He had a
team of his own, and a dray was the
only thing that 'peared to be in the
nature of a permanent town business
in connection with a team. I reckon he
thought he had Jim fixed when he done
it. OF course, you see, a Teller in town
y all the time where the girl is HAS got
a heap better show than the Teller that's
four miles away on his pas farm, all
other things bein' equal. But 'twasn't
long before Jim scraped up a team, too,
Ma couple Of bronchos that are afraid
pf their own shadders, and he rugged
V a dray and come to town. Him and
NJ don't speak; I don't reckon a
Sd's passed between 'em for six
this"
VI, how do they manage the court
Negdl Mr.. Tunk, amazedly.
You se9 amt doin' much courtin'.
meets thy cant. Sometimes Bill
with her. on the street and chins
her n y sometimes Jim meets.
that there with her. but beyond
DON'T let much dom. They
/SSgsht very other get out Of
YOU hear orI at a time; when
tainklin' alonM their fool drays
hear the other pretty soon you'll
just betwiyt vo,,H In the meantime,
Of Mr.. RolIins fa,,N me,''--the voice
roguish eynross;na whisper and a
fishlike ewes appeared In his
trary to what I'm ~. nings go con
ryin' the widow 'foreVu ~. % mar
come to their senses. Yem 1901 Doys
IN, Of Il, Salem; she's nI say no.n,
auout she bush with me,st aftsr ~
way q al. women. but SSlls mirs IT T.
any no fool when 1t Gomez toMS
4 customer appeared at TN III ct,,ro
woman who wanted calico
Mr. Tunk sat for a time IN ,oss,,.,,,
= Dlnsin at the quiet scene p-rssar,as
\ 'ne principal thoroughfars y wa.