The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1907-09-18

now he sat down and took his shoes
off and began to look it over. 1t was
from a copper mining company. He
had got as far as to see that when
Mrs. Dolby spoke up and said:
Samuel, don't you want to know
what's the matter with meY'
The deacon lifted his right foot upon
his left knee and scratched his heel
and seemed not to hear.
THE matter is that l am stricken
with DEATH" continued Mrs. Dolby as
she wondered whether she looked pale
or not-pale enough for the occasion.
Eyes, Samuel, l have got my sum-
mons to 60, and you won't be bothered
with me but a few hours longer. BY
midnight you will he free to marry
again. and my spirit will be playing
on a golden harp. l didn't want to
60 until l had done up twenty jars Of
Strawberries. but when we are called
we can't hold back. Do you think
you'll miss me when I'm gomez"
The mining circular announced that
the Honest Joe claim, which was one
of the five claims situated over the
celebrated Jim Crow copper vein. had
bored deep enough to ascertain that
the said vein was fourteen miles thick
by two broad and that it was esti-
mated that fourteen hundred million
tons Of copper were lying there ready
to be snaked out and sent to market.
Deacon Dolby was taking it all in and
did not answer his wife's question.
Whether she expected it to he an
swered or not. she continues:
when you started for the postof-
f1c, Samuel, l was singing away as
happy as a lark and expected to live
for twenty years yet. Then Mrs. Ed
wards anne over to borrow my four
pound flatiron. She was in an awful
hurry, but she sat down and said she
thought 1t her duty to tell me some
thing. She didn't want to make any
family trouble, but she thought l
hadn't ought to go on living in igno-
rance Of certain things. Samuel. two
weeks ago you went owe to Liverpool.
You said you went to see a five legged
calf. When you got back you told
me just how that fifth leg was hitched
on, and you looked SO innocent that but
for Mrs. Edwards l should have gone
to my grave without suspecting any
thing. Samuel. your sins have found
you out. There was a circus in Liv-
erpool that day. You went over to
e the circus. You were one OF the
first ones in and one of the last ones
out. U-m-m-m. If anybody had told
me that l would live to see this day,
l wouldn't have believed it. Deacon
Dolby at a circus!
Tears and sobs came at this juno
ture, and the deacon seemed a little
uneasy. But for the circular he might
have asserted hat he went to the
circus simply to see the hyenas. but the
paper interested him. The shares III
the Honest Joe were 500 each, but
that the widows and orphans and min
listers and deacons OF the country
might participate in a good thing they
had been cut to S. each for a short
time. The president Of the company,
who was q noble mar and could not
lie, assured all stockholders Of 100 per
cent dividends Mt the end Of a year.
One cent down and a cent a month
would buy ten shares right off the
reel.
"Yes. went to a circus" said Mrs.
Dolby after a b%reathless silence last
ing FIVE m~inutes-"went to Il circus and
laughed Is loud as anybody and bought
lemonade and peanuts. You We're seei
there. You We're cen to laugh and
snort at the clowns jokes. You We're
seen to look with your mouth wide
/ open when the circus were
riding horseback on one leg. You dill
all these things. Samuel. and then
came back to your poor wife and limo
/ cent home and sat down and told
about a five legged calf: It's a good