Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-08-05
A Nice Sense Of Honor.
[Original.l


rancher, I'VE don't pear to git no
such mirages as we used to git Dun
no whether the elyments has changed
or my eyesight is breakin' down, but l
don't see no more land liftin' with ev.
erything drawed as if it war a paintin'
under your nose such as l seen often
when fust come to the country
"What kind of mirages do you have
down here. asked the gentleman from
Massachusetts. chose that elevate OBJ
jects or those that show objects hav-
ing no existence:'
"Waal. reckon you'd call 'em ele-
vators"
1--WE seen mirages on Lake Mich.
igan," said the Chicago man. but l
never knew whether they were the
eastern shore elevated or the western
shore reflected''
"There amt no reflection down here -
remarked the rancher "What you see
you see. l saw somepin oncet that
changed the hull course of my life.
1t want no reflection. you bet yer life
''How was that?" asked the Massa-
chusetts man.
"'Twas this Away: When war q
young man worked at COW punchin'
for a man as lived on ridge that
looked over like ridge fifteen mile
away. The river run between each
ridge midway. and the ground on each
side the river war as like as two peas.
Tanner lived on the east ridge-he
war the man worked for-and fifteen
miles away on the other ridge his
brother-in-law, Brant, had built 4
house after the same plans. The same
architect had planned 'em both. and
lumber had been sawed for the two of
'em at oncet Each stood in the cell
ter of a big ranch.
Tanner had daughter, Eunice
that TUX shine to me. war an in
nocent young Teller in them days and
hadn't no notion O. hookin' up with
any one and tried to keep her off my
scent. but she follered me like a blood
hound. and somehow, though I could
git rid O most things, couldn't git rid
O. her. Whenever I'd try it she'd set
down beside me kind O. lovin' like, and
that ID be the end O. my tryin' to
shake her.
"Waal, at last she hived me, and the
fust thing knowed had gone to the
ole man and ayed for his gal. He was
willin', and so we was engaged, as
they say in the towns. Eunice oncet
havin' lassoed me gimme good deal
O rope. jist as though we was married
and l couldn't git away nohow.
'What made it hard on me was that
I wanted another gal. That gal war
Sally Brant, Eunice's cousin. Sally
war quiet little thing and didn't run
after nobody. l couldn't see very much
Of her. cause Eunice regarded me as
her property and wouldn't let me off
evenin's to ride over to the Brant
ranch. and daytimes l war lookin' after
the cattle.
"One mornin' l found myself lost
There had been heavy fog all night
and instead of takin' my bearin's be
fore it settled and goin' to sleep whal
I war tried to pull through it. But
student, about 10 o'clock in the morn.
in, the fog lifted and found myself g
mile from the Brant ranch house
Thinkin' it would be a good chance tc
go and tell Sally Brant that l wal
goin' to be married, rode over. Sally
was on the front veranda knittin
socks. I fined her and as soon as
could git up spunk told her that I wal
settled to be broke by Eunice Tanner
She didn't say word; she jist bent
down, and l could see that she war
cryin'
"Of course thar war jist one thing tc
do. set down on the bench beside
her, put my arms around her, and''-
"Kissed her?' asked the Chicago
man.
"Kissed her? No; l war hon'able
! war engaged"
"Well, go on"
1--WE war settin' facin' the valley. and
student lifted my eyes and thar be-
fore me and lookin' hardly stones
throw away war the Tanner ranch
house. And thar on the varanda sat
Teller and gal in each others arms.
or course l don't mean to say that I
could recognize people fifteen miles
away, but | knowed the couple must
"a been Eunice and some Teller. AL
though l would like to git rid of Eu-
nice. 1t made me mad to see her in
another feller's arms. jumps up and.
drawin' my shootin' iron. plugs away
at the man. What did he do but the
same to me-
~ felt kind O. foolish as soon as it
war over thinkin' my weepoa would
carry so far, and set down ag'in. The
Teller must "a felt as I did. cause he
SET down ag'in. too, by his gal. just as
did by mine. We turned our backs to
'em, but We didn't like their lookin'
even at our backs so we went into the
house.
II tole Sally that l loved her and
wanted her to marry me- She re-
minded that I was pledged to Eunice,
and I reminded her that. thanks to the
mirage I had found Eunice out Sally
then said, that bein' the case, it war
right for me to shake Eunice. but if I
went back to her she'd lasso me ag'in.
RecogniZin' this as true. proposed we
be married before goin' back And so
we war
when I went back, married man,
Eunice war mad enough to scalp me.
I charged her with goin' back on me.
and she denied it. But me and Sally
both saw her. and that was all there
war about it, Anyway. my wife says
noble. good man war saved from a
bad woman by the mirage"