Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-08-13

MTs. buEau, salu NILS. AAiii
yer to George that evening
after supper. when my sperits sink
way down to zero l go out in the yard
an give 'er chance to come over an
talk. No; never go over thar. All got
to do is to let 'er see me. an she's on me
like duck on June bug. She'll talk
yore head off. but she'll help you out
of tight whenever you give 'er the
wink Me an her together worked
Hortense as fine as split silk tothcr
day. You know, Jim Kenner's jest
about crazy to pay his attentions, an
she holds Off an won't let i'm set in.
/ made up my mind six months ago
that I'd make match out O that ma
terial. but beyond gittin' Jim to foller
me all over creation an her TO fairly
lap up all had to say about i'm that
was as nigh as l come to dom bust
ness. 1t puzzled me right sharp. fer l
knowed the gal had marry on her mind,
an / knowed Jim Kenner was jest the
thing fer 'er Finally l drapped on to
the difficulty. You know. steady gal
like Hortense Snowden sometimes has
regular horror Of goody goody fell
Ter, an l seed she thought he'd jest es-
capped bein' a preacher by hairs
breadth an was not goin' with gals be-
cause he was afeard of 'em. let Mrs.
Dugan In on my racket, an l lowed
she'd have fit, she was 80 tickled.
She got her SEWN an come over, an
we tuck chairs nigh Hortense, an Mrs.
Dugan begun. You'd "a thought she
was on the courthouse stand swearin'
In murder case, she was so serious.
She led up to it as gradual as man
drivin' school O. fish upstream into a
net. I think she give everybody In
barley a slap or dab in passin'. FL
nally she said IL was the men that
laid low an that everybody thought
was SO steady that was the regular
devils on the sly. Now, thar's that
long, slim shanked Kenner, said she.
lappin' out the sheet she was hem
min. Folks thinks he's SO innocent;
but, la me, he's the terriblest hirt in
seven states. He buys cotton all over
the country an has gal in every town
he hits
"'You are or thar said I. I know
better'n that. He's one man that don't
care fer women
"Tell that to the maroons, Mrs. Du-
gan sneered Then she reeled OF tale
she said Bob Hanks wife told er about
a bet Jim kenner an a whole passle
o. fellers had made, that they was goin'
to kiss q certain gal whether or no.
She said the gal was kinder saft, any
way, an they all got whack at her.
but that when Jim Kenner got through
with 'er she had the backache an said
he was the wust she'd ever seed. l
was a-watchin' Hortense out O. the cor
ner O. my eye. She got fust white an
then red, but she kept 'er ears open.
l don't know all Mrs. Dugan didn't
say, but the best thing was when she
said no ordinary woman could make
any impression on man o that stamp.
I seed HortenSe sorter bite 'er lip an
straighten up like she was maxim a
resolution. And after Mrs. Dugan had
gone home she set around like she was
out O. tint all at once. You know
woman will kinder count on map's
regard. an feed on it, an jest drift
without looiin' ahead. Ell she's shore
O. his admiration she'd heap o times
ruther have i'm at arms length than to
be cookin' an scrubbin' fer i'm ur his
brats. That's whar Hortense was at
She's knowed few married men an
had noticed how plumb crazy they was
about Their wives after the honeymoon
was over. But nothin' amt smooth In
this world, an why should married life
be an exception? An then Hortense
hates to be called old nlaid. Well.