The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1908-09-10
TRUNK Was
HIS CUPID
The Editor Tells How Il Won Him
His Wife.

The Editor Tells How Il Won Him I
His Wife.
A party Of editors OF western week.
ly papers, after a little visit around
New York a while back, We're check
ing their baggage at a ferry station
upon the eve Of their departure when
the dilapidated, age-worn appearance
Of the trunk Of one of the editors came
In for lot Of guying. 1t was small,
very old-fashloned trunk, and it had
seen so much service that it required
four heavy trunk straps to hold it to-
gether. The man to whom the trunk
belonged, who took the ioshing all in
good part, got back at the jolliers with
this.
Don't you fellows bother your heads
about that old box. It's getting pretty
old and disreputable looking, I'll admit,
but I'm not going to make any attempt
to lose 1t until it falls apart, and then
I'm going to put its old bones away
and keep EN- busted. That old trunk
won me my wife"
They demanded the details Of him
then, and he supplied them
when first took hold of the county
weekly in my town, he said, my per.
sonal effects didn't much more than
half fill that dlnky little old trunk.
But for all the slenderness of my
means and my wardrobe the prettiest
girl in the town, the daughter Of the
best-off citizen Of the place, wasn't any
too good for me to pay my court to. /
used to call upon her two or three
evenings a week, but was only one Of
about half a dozen young fellows in
the town who also were calling upon
her right regularly, and all Of them
were a heap better off in this worlds
goods, or at any rate in prospects, than
| was at that stage of my life.
1T was for this reason that didn't
exactly see how / stood with the girl,
but ! wasn't going to permit myself
to be frozen out by the others until l
got the direct word from her She was
pretty cordial in her treatment Of me,
and when happened to find other fell
lows calling upon her when l visited
her home she generally let it appear
through the crafty little ways that
women pick up as soon as they quit
wearing their hair in braids that she'd
just as lief I'd outstay the other fell
lows as not.
Il seemed to be making as much If
not more progress than any of the
other suitors, but as / wasn't making
much more than bare living out of
my paper l wasn't in any shape to pro
pose, especially as the girls father was
extremely comfortable financially.
We'll, anyhow, the frequency Of my
visits and the cordial welcome al
ways got from the girl aroused the
jealousy of the other suitors naturally
enough, and one evening after I'd been
a caller at her house for about a year
they put up Job on me.
Il vas seated on a lawn bench in
front Of the house with the girl--itwas
during the summer-when the wagon
Of the towns leading grocer drove up
In front. The driver of the grocery
wagon hoped from his seat, went to
the rear Of the wagon, loaded my trunk
that little battered trunk that afford
ed you so much amusement-onto his
shoulders and walked into the yard
with it just as my young ladys dad
came down the front steps on his way
to his lodge meeting.
my rivals had kidnapped the trunk
from my room and sent 1t to the home
of the young lady in the grocery
wagon, with the idea. Of course, of put
ting me in a foolish and measly light
before her and her father.
What's this? inquired the old
gentleman as the driver of the wagon,
at my command, dumped my little old
trunk on the lawn
Il asked the driver how he'd hap
pened to fetch my trunk to that place,
and he confirmed my suspicious by in
forming me that he'd been instructed
so to deliver it by a number OF rival
suitors. The old gentleman cooked up
his ear at this,
It's not my fault, as you can see
sir. said to the girls dad, for ! felt
pretty cheap even under the circum-
stances. 1 hope you fully understand
that | wouldn't have a hand IL any
hing so idiotic.
That's all right, son-perfectly all
ight. observed the fine old boy, eyine
me shrewdly and then casting his in
quiring gaze over in his daughters
direction. You and Mary had anything
to say to each other yet?'
"At that. of course, felt about as In
competent as a hairless Mexican dog
In snowstorm. and Mary herself
lidnt seem to be hankering to exhibit
any conversational powers.
Because, my boy the gentleman
vent on, still ewing me in a kindly
sort Of way. whenever you and Mary
get ready to say something to each
1ther-and | wouldn't be surprised but
what that's the way the wind blows
hey young uns9 winking in a fatherly