Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-12-18
Leading a Lamb.
IOriginal-l

waStin' your time when you should be
gettin' husbands. What y gOin' to do
when v get forty or fifty years Old
and no homes? It's we'll enough
IS longs yer young. but you forgit
that your youth n Sood looks is given
" for a purpose n that purpose is to
git married"
But, Aunt Lavinia." said a pouting
miss of eighteen. 1--WE can't ask the
men to marry us. And sometimes a
fellow III hang about a girl for long
while, keeping other fellows away and
never ask her There's Ben Pitner
been devoted to Lucy Somers ever
since a year ago last January, and
they're not engaged yet"
"Pshaw! Lucy hasn't got any in
genuity. Do you suppose a young
mans going to make up his mind to
give up his independence and assume
the cares G. matrimOny all by himself
He knows he's standin' over a cold
water bath and has to be pushed in
I'll tell you about a case | knew Of
once. There was Il young man named
Jake-never mind his other name-whO
was devOtin' himself to a girl called
Ruth. He asked her to go to all the
parties and shows and such things
with him and looked sour as vinegar II
she went to any Of EN- with anybody
else Sometimes he'd hint around
about matrimony bein' 4 serious mat
ter and shouldn't be entered without
countin' the cost. Then he'd say he
was awful feared he'd never have
wife n home because they cost SO
much money. The girl couldn't say
anything against this idea, so she jiSt
agreed with him and told him that if
she married she supposed she'd have to
marry some one that was dom well,
whether she liked him or not.
$50 it went on from month to month
till Ruth got mighty tired of it. She
Just give Jake the cold shoulder for
awhile Then one day she went into
the store-Jake was clerlling for the
proprietor asked for some white
silk. The proprietor waited on her
and showed her lots O. pieces, BUT they
weren't any of 'em good enough for her
till they came to the finest piece in the
store. She told him to cut her sam
pie of it and asked him how much he
calculated 1t would take to make her
a dress.
"'With a train?' he asked.
eyes, long train-long as a comets
tail
Trimmed with orange blossoms?
eyes. l may as we'll own that it's,
to be trimmed with orange blossoms.
but l don't want you to say anything
about it, Got any stuff for a veilT
HE showed her some yelling. and
she took a sample of that, and then
she went away.
''She hadn't any sooner got out o the
store than the proprietor called Jake
who had been waitin on a customer
at the other end, where they sold the
groceries, and congratulated him Ola
being engaged Jake said he wasn't
engaged, and then his employer told
him that he must "a lost his girl,
cause she'd been in to buy weddi1'
dress. Jake he turned white as a
cloth and like to fell in fit.
'"'That night he went over to see Ruth
just IS soon as the store was shut up.
for him. She sent word by her mother
that she wasn't feelin' very we'll and
she'd like to be excused. Jake. nearly
beside himself, sent Begin message
that she'd come down for one moment.
as he had something very particular to
say to her. She knew we'll enough
what it was, but she wasn't in hurry
to come down, so she sent word that
she was very busy SEWN and couldn't
he call some other time? At the
word SEWN Jake caught at the
piano He considered it his death war
rant He sent up another message
that if she'd come down long enough
for him to say half dozen words or
so he'd go away and wouldn't ever
bother her any more.
"She scattered a lot O. threads over
her dress, put a thimble on her finger
and went down, lOOkin' for all the
world s If she was workin' night and
day Oh a trusseau. When Jake saw
her he almost cried
truth, he says. you've treated me
shamefulIy, dishonesty. received my
attentions all this time and them
claws "a mercy says Ruth. ]
didn't think you meant anything!
"'Not mean anything?
"'NO; I thought we was just good
friends
"'And you've gone and thrOwed me
over for that mis'able Teller that no
body in this town considers fit for ".
Ruth she didn't know who he was
talkin' about. Tor there wasn't any
other teller in the case except Jake
But she didn't calclate to say any
more just then. so she just looked
sorry.
How could you do it, asked Jake.
:" I didn't know you cared
"'Cared, OF course l cared. I've
loved you all the time since we first
met and have wanted you myself
Marriage is expensive says Ruth.
Marriage without love is expensive,
but when two people love their union