The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-02-05
Copyrighted. 1908. by Associated
Literary Press.

W hSep MUSE ia Ddcnelor ulSc0mIOrt.
"Some one would do Wetton a per-
sonal favor by marrying off Ben" sug-
gested Henders, and the rest of the
crowd shouted with delight at the idea
of the silent Benjamin marrying.
''But he wouldn't know how to ask
girl, suggested Colonel Covell
''Some one would have to pop tLSr
question for him, BY John ,Rs5gers. ;"
he added. Il think I'll do n for hint
I've maiden aunt baIh> east who's
Been crazy to get 9Arrled for more
years than I've Xved. Her names
Adora Dedrick jdnd she must be about
7. sixty now.
" Shes ut little money, and she
may think that he's marrying her for
that, but she'll take him. Well carry
along the game until we've proposed
fer him, and then Wen let Ben get
the answer or else Wen bring the old
lady on and let him fight it out with
her."
THAT would be great" declared
Eenders approvlngly. Let her walk
Fright no to him ard put her arms
b around his neck and say Darling" I'll
h betfhat win scare him into talking"
I'll be one TO help pay the old lady's
hveling expenses on this here eXcur
IN, broke in Denver Bill, who dealt
lnk "What will it costa"
Say $780," suggested Covell as he
ooll off his hat and threw in 500 In
a few minutes more than the needed
sum had been realized, and, calling for
mems and paper, Covell wrote the first
=, while the rest of the crowd
ed on.
etterley was not disliked in Bal
al, but his taciturn ways and his
usal to make one of the crowd that
ghtly thronged the Brindle Pup
marked him a man apart from the rest.
Hence the crowd was willing to pdS
M the pleasure of seeing his amaze
mint when his undesira bic bride elect
s build appear.
lnmindful 0s all postal regulations,
they postmaster agreed to let Covell
havSthe letters addressed to Dan Bet
terleS should any come from the little
New England town where Miss Adora
DERRICK lived. Presently 1t came, a
heavy fctter in which Miss Dedrick ey-
pressed willingness to correspond
with, "a man so well recommended by
Cousin Covell.
81 guess she's forgotten you, Col"
suggested Henders when this line was
reached, but Covell merely grinned APP
breciatively and continued to read.
There was little to laugh at in the
letter Indeed, more than one in the
crowd wished there was some one
back east who would write letters like
that to him, but Covell's vivid descrip-
ton of Miss Dedrick's overripe charms
and the thought Of what Dan would
say when she arrived kept the joke
. alive during the correspondence that
followed. Finally when Miss Dedrick
wrote that she was sending her pic
ture and the accompanying photo
graph proved to be that of q comely
GIL scarcely out of her teens Covel
rolled on the floor in his delight.
cousin Adora was that old before
they knew how to take pictures" he
insisted. "She must have begged this
of a photographer / think that it's
time to spring the joke now. Well
send her the money to come on with
and ask her to start at once. Dan will
, see this picture, and when Cousin
Adora comes | reckon he'll be some
, surprised"
Covell laboriously indited a lengthy
letter, i'll which lie declared Dams in-
ability to wait longer for his bride and
, begging her to come west at once.
y A few days later n telegram tele-
Dhoned from the railroad town to
camp announced her start, and when I
they had learned the sense of the
message the plotters allowed it to be
delivered, while at the same time Miss
Adora's last letter and her picture. in
closed I'm the original letter, were
placed back in the postoffice and de-
livered to Dan that evening.
The Brindle Pup kept open until A
o'clock in the morning that the earll-
est news might be learned, but Dan
gave no sign that he was disturbed
A scout reported that his shack was
In darkness.
IL don't think I'd lose sleep my
SELF" admitted Henders with regret
II suppose it took him rather sudden
that some ones done his counting for
him, but he's willing TO make good for
his unknown friend with the original
Of that photograph"
''Wait until he sees what he draws"
reminded Covell. Hell go some shy
Of sleep when Cousin Adora gets after
him with all those letters. She'll new
or believe that he didn't write them"
The thought cheered the dlsappoint-
ed ones, and even when Dan went
quietly TO his claim on the morrow
and did not even ask the postmaster
about the letter they chuckled as they
thought of the awakening that was in
store for him.
Every man In the camp was on