The Washington times., 1907-09-22

ONCE, every WINDOW
sealed with solid shut
ters, squatted at the
cross roads. q weather-beaten I'M
calmly old pile that served TO shell
ter q hardware. grocery, aud drug
store under Its hospitable roof. And
the lord of all, Stephen Whitehead,
In addition to this enjoyed the dis
tinotion of being notary public.
Stephen laid a fire in the fire.
place and lighted IT, for the even
ing had turned from chill to dry
cold, which usually meant an Octo-
Der rain In these parts. then
stepped to the back door that wore
q faded curtain against time and
curiosity through which he watch
ed the crimson maple leaves fall
ing from his trees IN showers.
Since the world began, idle and
industrious theorists have specu-
lated about the thoughts of men
on the eve of death; yet few phil
osophers have shown us their
minds on the eve Of matrimony.
And so It was with Stephen. He
had lived his quiet life In uninter-
rupted bachelorhood to the age Of
forty-nine with\no more idea Of
marriage than one ordained TO the
priesthood.
His sister Amanda, two years hts
senior, had been his faithful house
keeper through all these years; how
ever her untirinR devotion in her
years Of health had appealed to him
the last few months Of her life when
he saw her uncompla1ninsiy fight for
life day by day and patiently yield the
fight inch by inch. Those were dread
full days for him, and while eighteen
months had passed since her burial.
he found himself living over again the
acute stages OF his grief for life never
seemed the same to him
But II IL the same with misery az
with everything else. time wears on
the sharp edges, he was alone-that
truth. Henceforth he would be alone;
and he must adjust his mental outlook
to the new condition.
Besides the postofice there were a
half dozen houses In the village that
was commonly called station by the
farmer neighbors, and then most I'M
posing OF all was the little red brick
school house that stood a few rods
back Of the track.
Stephen could see the school building
from the door where now he stood He
was passing through one of these
periods ~ discouragements and the
silence Il the store was broken By the
ticking OF tie clock and the drip Of
the rain outhde.
Suddenly q smile crossed his face
and he unoonsciously Strengthened up
into a military attention as the idea
took firm hold upon his mind, and he
straightwRy walkcd to the writing
desk back Of the pigeon-holed parti-
ton.
He lighted the of lamp with its
green shade and searched among his
morning mail for the letter rT:at he
had tossed aside a few hours before
with but ono perusaL 1t had all Of
a sudden assumed amazing importance
ana ne OnAAAlc0 ONcI AS OuAIOAlc
with the glse Of a school boy who sue
cessfuIly carries out dangerous
prank.
yes, here Il u.s. he said to himself
as ne took q letter from a yellow en-
velope and began to read aloud
To the Postmaster of Valley Creek:
Dear Sir: I wish you would do me
the favor to send me one or two names
of women who are eligible for mar
rage. My friend and 1 am mining
partners out here In Montana and we
want to tie UP with side partners for
life. We don't want none of your
FLUFFY Ruffles kind either who expect
to take rides on the boulevards in
open carriages by moonlight. for the
burTos are the only carriages and the
trails are the only boulevards Ia these
diggins. We are not looking for col
lege breds who play the piano so
lovely either, for we manage to get
an ear to dn horns and Jewsharps. and
while they do not call their pastime
grand opera, the gallinipSrs have got
them beaten by a city block for clas-
sioal Raphsody fn z minor.
] am making plain statements about
our mode OF life. so no woman can
have a comeback at us for deceiving
ner with false notions about mining
life. We Just live close to the ground
and still remember our mothers well
enough to have wholesome respect for
the decent women who Will give US the
right TO protect them with our names.