The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-08-27
Big stationery
IorlaInaL1

IOIItlUaAi
Joel Throggc was a eriye- on tho
towpath. Joel ,Sas reachink On age
whore he wished for homo. Nc adj
miitcd TO himself that he couldn't have
home without woman. and he
never stopped long enough 60 do any
courting He was always moving on
the towpath. and how can a man make
love who is continually walking behind
a horse or a mule pulling canaiboatf
On the route was a little unoccnpIcd
house across the rond from the tow
path that joel would have coveted II
hc had had wife TO put In 1t. One
day when he passed Ea saw smoke
curling from the chimney aud a woman
at a window. After pa-S'ug and re-
passing on several trips ne made up
his mind from observation that sIie
woman lived alone.
Here was an opportunity. the FIRST
he bad ever had. lie resolved 20 take
advantage OF It. Before starting on
one Of his trips he prepared small
board. on which he wrote in chalk:
dcra Maddam wonid be happy to MAX
ytirc aquaintcnce. am driven mule
ON the towpath. JOEL. TilROG0s.
On reaching the house In question
he threw the board into the yard
without stopping bis mule. This wns
Mt Throggs' iirst love letter. It was
not very neat -lRdced. It was some
what bulky but they say "I.ove laughs
at locksinlths" Why Shouldn't the IT.
&c ged smile benlgnIy Oh board Billet
dOnx?
When joel passed the house on his
return trip. Oh the end Of a chicken
coop had been chalkcd;
l shud be plccacd 60 make yourn.
MAHULDY wIoGINs
SO far so good Joel lad not pre-
pared stationery, wooden or Otherwise.
Tor reply. SO It was not til he came
along on his next trip that he respond
cd Then he ran across the rgad be-
tween the towpath and the canal and
set the top Of IN old Iable on the gate.
Oh which he had written;
wud csicam miseIf oncred cf you
vud talk a ride With me On my mex
trip The mule has easy gate. Bring
q piler TO get on.
But the course Of true love can't be
expected always TO run smooth. When
Ioel passed again the end OF the chick
en- coop Alared with big chalk letters;
Cant. out to work all day.
joel was despondent. Not only vsCc
he tied TO the towpath, but bis loss
also was at work He thought s3c
matter over MS lac logged along. now
! and then gently laying bis whlplErk
on the back Of his mule, and when 1s
reached the terminus prepared anosnss
letter, n longer one-so long that he
needed more room to write It Ee CO.
lected the door Of the canalboat cabin.
which he took Off its hlnges, lay on
the deck and wrote as follows:
dere Mahuldy. saved go dolerH. I'm
| loolan fur n home were twu harts Kin
beet together. Sposen | line with you
an We work your yard fur garden truck
| fur the market. Prlses Is hl in town.
Stay hum mex time pas. wensday. lie
ride you "A few miles an We can tawA
1t over. lie pay you the days wages.
on passing the Louse the next time
Joel carried this bulky letter to the
premises aud set II up against the
fence.
When Joel passed the following
| Wednesday afternoon Mahuldy was
I waiting for him with pillow Ito set
on" Except for the lack Of several
front teeth and one eye gone she
wasn't bad looking. joel was much
,sfl I.f tlr. 4 tfa
mules back and walked along beside
her. She told him ilat she was Wild
ow with no membranes, She had
been permitted 70 llSc IN the house
rent free. IL had 40 especial value.
and the land wasn't worth $50 nm acre.
She accorded Si,h Jooi's plan. especial
! ~ as lac had money enough to buy the
place aud stock t.. iut she was
| somewhat coy about marrying a man
she had never seen before and wanted
time 60 consider
Joel's only objection TO delay was
that they would wish to communicate,
and This was dinicult He had already
been obliged 10 use the door OF the
canalboat As bis passion grew he
would need more space. The only
larger stationery he could think Of
was an Old tent he possessed. He
might rip out side. write his mes
sage on Il aud set II up on poles when
be passed II he needed a still larger
space, he ,alght use the whole Of one
side OF thr canalboat.
Mrs Virgins thought the matter
over and found that her modesty would
not admit Of such open lovemaking.
She said the noighb1rs might get on
20 H. Joel didn't care for the neigh
bors but objected to the trouble OF
getting up such big messages. He
said mounfully that III they KEEP
a-growm he'd hey 10 use the mainsail
Of GOO ton schooner before they were
married.
This settled the matter. Mrs. Wig
gins. who bad already ridden three
miles. got down from the mule. Il was
agreed between them that Joel should
resign at the end OF the month from
| his position OF mule driver aud as