The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-07-22
THE RANSOM
OF MAC K.
A Kind Hearted MeddIer and the
Mistake He Made.
BY o. HENRY.
copyright. 1901. by the Mcclure Com.
nanV.l
(Conntinued from last week

| InlS In TWO little snort uoulnh4
I'm going TO marry the young lady
who just passed tonight" says Mack
In kind of flutter,
81 forgot something at the postof-
fce," says / and walked away quick.
overlook that young woman a hun
dred yards away. | raised my hat and
told her my name. She was about
nineteen and young for her age. She
blushed and then looked at me cool,
| like / was the snow scene from the
1.-TWO Orphans"
81 understand you are to he married
' tonight" ! said.
Correct" says she. You got any
objections"
Listen, sissy" begins.
"My name is Miss liebosa Redd,"
says she in a panied way.
~ know IT," says |. Now, Rebosa,
I'm old enough to have owed money
to your father. And that old specious,
dressed up, garbled, seasick ptomaine
prancing around avidiously like an ir-
remediable turkey gobbler with patent
leather shoes on is my best friend.
Why did you go and get him Invested
in this marriage buslnessY'
"Why, he was the only chance there
was" answers Miss Rebosa.
"Nay," says |, giving a sickening
look of admiration at her complexion
and style Of features. with your
beauty you might pick any kind Of
man. Listen, Rebosa. Old Mack amt
the man you want. He was twenty
two when you was nee Reed, as the
papers say. This bursting into bloom
won't last with him. He's all venu-
lated with oldness and rectitude and
decay. Old Macks down with a case
of Indian summer He overlooked his
bet when he was young, and now he's
suing nature for the interest on the
promissory note he took from Cupid
instead of the cash. Rebosa, are you
bent on having this marriage occurY
"Why, sure am" says she, oscillat-
ing the pansies on her hat, land so is
somebody else, reckon"
"What time is it to take place" l
asks.
AT o'clock" says she.
made up my mind right away what
TO do. I'd save old Mack If ! could.
To have good, seasoned, ineligible
man like that turn chicken for a girl
that hadn't quit eating slate pencils
and buttoning In the back was more
than l could look on with easiness.
"Rebosa," says l, earnest, drawing
upon my display Of knowledge con-
cerning the feminine intuitions Of rea.
son, "adn't there young man in Pima
"a nice young man that you think a
heap of%
yep" said Rebosa, nodding her
pansies. Sure there is. What do you
think? Gracious"
"Does he like your l asks. How
does he stand in the matterT
"CraEy," says Rebosa. ma has to
wet down the front steps to keep him
from sitting there all the time. But
guess that'll be all over after tonight"
she winds up, with a sigh.
"Rebosa," says |, you don't really
experience any of this alteration called
love for old Mack. do your"
Lord, no" says the girl, shaking
her head. 81 think he's as dry as a
lava bed. The idea"
who is this young man that you
like, Rebosa" | inquiries.
Its Eddie Bayles," says she. He
clerks in Crosby's grocery. But he
don't make but thirty-fve a month
Ella Noakes was wild about him
once"
"Old Mack tells me-" | says. that
he's going to marry you at o'clock |
this evening"
That's the time" says she. Its to
be at our house"
"Rebosa," says |, listen to me. II
Eddie Bayes had a thousand dollars
cash-a thousand dollars, mind you,
would buy him store of his own-if
you and Eddie had that much to ex-
cuse matrimony on, would you consent
to marry him this evening at 8
o'clockT"
The girl looks at me minute, and
can see these inaudibe cogitations go
ing on inside of her, as women will.
"a thousand dolarsY says she. "Of
course would"
"Come on" says |, Wen go and
see Eddie"
We went up to Crosby's store and
ITI1fo nntgfda lnntyod fn 20 |
estimable and freckled. and he had
chills and fever when made my
"At O'clock" says he, for a thou
sand dollars? Please don't wake me
up! Well, you are the rich uncle re-
tired from the spice business in India!
I'll buy out old Crosby and run the
store myself"
We went inside and got old man
Crosby apart and explained it. wrote
my check for a thousand dollars and
handed 1t TO him. If Eddie and Re-
bosa married each other at he was
to turn the money over to them.
And then gave 'em my blessing and
went to wander in the wildwood for
season. sat on log and made cogi-
tations on life and old age and the
zodiac and the ways of women and
all the disorder that goes with life
time. / passed myself congratulations
that had probably saved my old
friend Mack from his attack Of Indian
summer. / knew when he got well Of
It and shed his infatuation and his
patent leather shoes he would feel
grateful. ITO keep old Mack disin-
thinks l, from relapses like