Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1908-08-26
Big Stationery.
TOriZittai i

Joel ThroggS was a driver on tine toWpath. Joel was reaching all age where he wished for q home He ad- mitted to himself that he couldn't have a home without q woman. and he never stopped long enough to do any courting. He was always moving on the towpath and how can I man make love who is continually walking behind horse or a mule pulling canalboat?
 On the route was ! little unoccupied house across the road from the tow path that Joel would have coveted if he had had a wife to put ill it. One day when he passed he saw smoke curling from the chimney and q woman passing on several trips he made up his mind from observation that the woman lived alone.
 Here was an opportunity, the first he had ever hal. He resolved to take advantage of it. Before starting on one of his trips he prepared small board on which he wrote in chalk:
 
 dere Madam would be hapy to max yure aquaintence. I am driven a mule on the towpath. JOEL THROGGS-
 On reaching the house in question he threw the board into the yard without stopping his mule This Was MT. Throggs' first love letter. It was not very neat-indeed, it was some what tuky-but they say Love laughs at locksmiths.' Why shouldn't the lit tie god smile benignIy on q board billet doux?
 When Joel passed the house on his return trip. on the end of a chicken coop had been chaIled:
 shud be peezed to make yourn.
 MAHULDY WIGGINS.
 So far so good Joel had not pre- pared stationery. wooden or otherwise, for Il reply so it was not till he came along on his ne&t trip that he respond cd. Then hexan across the road be twee, the toNpath and the canal and set ti.e top of an old table on the gate, on which he had written:
 wul estean Faself onered et you wud taz q fIde With ne on my nex trip. The ..I,.le# has cas- gate Bring q pill r l9 set 6tt.
 But tie course of truc love can't br xpe.tcd always to run Sttlu'th W hen Joel passed again tHc ed of the chick en coop @Iared with big chalk letters: Cant Out to work all day
 Joel was despondeat Not only was he tied to the toVp.tjA but his love also was al work lie thought the matter over as he jo-I11d aJon@, HOW and then gently laEin& his whiplash on the back of his mule. and when he reached the terminus prepared another letter, d longer one-so to%- that be needed more room to wrile it. He se Iected the door of the cana.boat cabin which he took off it's hinges, lay oil the deck and wrote as follows:
 dere Mahuldy. saved 60 d2ilers Tn lookin fur a home were two harts k3H beet together. sposen I jine with you an We work your yard fur g4re.en truck fur the market. Prises is Iii in toNn Stay hum nex time pas, wens.iay ilv ride you a few miles We can tawl> it over. ile pay you the days wages.
 On passing the house the next time Joel carried this bulky letter to the premises and set it up against the fence.
 When Joel passed the following Wednesday afternoon Ma ahuidy was waiting for him with q pillow "to set on.' Except for the lack of several front teeth and one eye gone she wasn't bad looking. Joel was much pleased. He helped her up on the mules back and walked along beside her She told him that she was q Uid- ow with no incumbrances. She had been permitted to live in the house rent free IT had no especial value and the land wasn't worth $JO an acre She accorded With Jecfs plan. especial ly as he had money enough to buy the place and stock it But she was somewhat eey about marrying q man she had never seen before and wanted time to consider
 JoeEs only objection 10 delay was that they would wish to communicate, and this was difficult. He had already been obliged to use the door of the canalboat. As his passion grew he would need more s5lce. The only larger stationery he could think of was m old tent he possessed He might rip out q sile. write his mes sage on it and set it up on poles when he passed If he needed I still larger space, he might use the whole of one side of the canalboat
 Mrs. Wiggins til -ht the matter over and found that her modesty would not admit of such open lovemaking. She said the neighbors might get on to it. Joel didn't care for the neigh bors, but objected [. the trouble of getting up such bi- messages. He said mournfully tha' if they kep' a-growin' he'd hey to Q the mainsail of q eco ton schooner b lore they were married"
 This settled ~, a T Mrs. Wig gins, who had s.eA ridden three