The Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1903-1909, 1906-07-24
A FIREMAN'S
COUR.TSHIP
By E S. CHAMBERLAYNE
Copyright, by Joseph b. bowles ;


man TO know.
Young man." said he to me one
day, "iv all tn curyus things in the
world, there's nothin' so dun curyuS
ez a wGmun. | thought SO thin an
think so now, an | know heap more
about EN- now than liver | did thin.
at come about like this Nolan an
me wuz both down to tn ovid Kelsey
ovid In thin days. Captin Costello
had it thin, an a dishagreeable man
he Wuz to be under An begin wild,
Nolan an me didn't hitch. Their wuz
really nothin' butWeen us at furst, but
only jist fwhat ye might call standin
difference iy opinyun. But where
men re shut up togither day an night
in little brick coop wild work. enough
for half Their time, little differnce
iv opinyun grows. Their isn't no ither
way to do.
But Nolan an me didn't need no
ingine house quarrel. We found wan
outside, an Maggy Hogan started it.
| didn't know which saw 'er furst, tho
Nolan claimed / wuz thryin' to cut i'm
out whin furst | begun to go Their
Howiver that may be, go Their did,
an it wud / took more than Nolan to
keep me away.
"'You an Misther Nolan don't seem
TO love each ither,' says she wan
evenin whin, it bein my day off, |
wuz there ez usyul.
"'Ther is only wan person on top
L tn universe that love, says |, an
we know well enough who that is.
An | looked at tt person wild me two
eyes, Study.
'Misther Nolan is yiry nice man,
says she, not lookin' up from tn boar
where she wuz ironin'. He wuz here
only last night. We wuz talkin about
you. An | says it wuz a pity you an
i'm didn't like each ither bether, both
iv We bein' frinds i mine, so t say.
$50 that's it, says |, startin' up
An Nolan is tn man, is he? Viry
well, Misther Nolan, you an me will
sittle this affair butweun us. An |
started fer tn door.
"'Oh, fwhat re ye' goin' to do?' says
she an | see by tn look in 'er face she
wuz tiurried.
"Do?' says |, I'm goin' to do fer
Nolan
AN at that she caught me by tn
arm Don't, she says, wild scared
kind iv pleadin' in er voice. oh,
Michael, don't do it. Don't. Wan
wan i yen be KILT she says.
"'Are we pleadin' fer him. says |,
pushin' 'er away, wild me eyes gittin
hard.
Fer him? Fwhat a foolish boy
it is she says, I wuz thinkin' i you.
An wild that she hid 'er face in ME
coat. an cud only kiss tn top iv er
head. Ye may guess wasted no time
lookin' fer Misther Nolan that night.
But the next AFTERNOON, whin tn
boys wuz sittin' round in tn dumps,
ez they mostly wuz under Costello, |
says to Nolan: 'Wud we like to put
on the gloves wild me, Misther Nolan?
WED a set iv boxin' gloves in tn
bunk room, an tn boys used to work.
out wild EN- occashun'l!y, tho Nolan
an me had niver come togither.
I'm not perticlar about tn gloves.
says Nolan.
"'Are we 'frald?' says |, mistakin
his meanin If we be, may say that
it'll assist tn decision iv frind iv
ours. 1t seems to me, sich bein' tn
case, that we might
"'Ye needn't sthop fer tn gloves.
says Nolan, pullin' off his coat
"'Good fer we, says |, seem me mis-
.hake. 'Ye're a bether man than
mistook we fer An pulled coat
Inesilf.
well. iv course, we had to use tn
gloves to cover it wild; Costello wud
l. had us on tn books fer fightin' in
quarters, else, an tn boys wuz not
really onto tn game fer tn furst few
rounds.
well, that wuz tn iurst an las.
time we liver fought. The reason fer
which was this: Nolan, bein' somo-
thin proud iv his looks, waited till
pay day to sittle fer tn two store
teeth he put into his mouth. But /
havin no compuncshuns ez to me ap
pearance, wuz over TO see Maggy tn
furst chanst got. Whin she see tn
ripe lookin' plvm that me eye wuz, she
rays: 'Fwhatitsr hev we been doin',
\ ,chael to git such lookin' eye?'
I run agin a slight oosthrucshuE,'
say, |.
1T wuz niver done at fire. she
says.
'I'niver said it wuz.
Thin we've been tightin. she cries,
an wild Peter Nolan, too Ye must
not do it she SAYS. 'Ye must not 90