Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1910-07-27
WHAT WAS ON.
THE HOOK?
By MARY RUTH TRUESDALE
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
ASSnciafiOn

JOuuS n1Au "dS t"SuAy-Se'eu years
old. He did not inherit the misery
qualities of his father. He was a
quiet fellow and longed for a home,
something his father had considered
himself too poor to give him. Isaac
had not lived the life Of gentleman
and had no idea Of meeting and court
ing lady for wife. He desired to
marry. but had sufficient sense to un-
derstand that he would be the target
for designing women. His father had
scarcely been laid to rest before Isaac
was the recipient Of basketfui of Of
fers from young women who were
anxious to marry him. He read every
one Of them. thinking that he might
see something by which he might de-
tect genuine good sense. the faculty
he most desired in wife. He did
find one that impressed him with its
guiielessness. girl who gave her
name as Blanche Tyron and her age
as eighteen said that some of her
friends were putting in applications
for his hand and she had concluded to
w NuO SdluCs TuOl ludl QUO udu ally
hope of getting the situation. but her
mother. who was an invalid and whom
she supported. had urged her to do so.
She sent with her letter her photo.
graph. There was such honest inno-
cence in the face that Isaac was i'm
pressed.
Isaac did not reply to her letter. but
few weeks later be appeared at her
home as an agent for sewing ma
chine company and insisted on selling
her machine. The girl looked long
ingly at the machine, for she earned
her living by her needle and needed
new machine sadly. She regretted
that she could not afford to buy it and
was turning away when the agent
| made her a proposition so favorable
that she stopped to think. When 8
woman hesitates with salesman at
the door she is lost. The agent. with.
out waiting for her to make up her
mind. removed the machine from the
wagon to the house. Then he filled in
the necessary blanks. and before the
girl knew what she was about she had
signed them.
Isaac had made the installments to
be paid weekly on each Saturday
night When the first payment came
due he appeared about = o'clock in the
evening. Blanche had the money
| ready for him. but instead of going
| away he fingered to talk with her. The
next Saturday evening when he came
for payment of the note he stopped
longer. Indeed. his visits grew more
| and more extended and the relations
| between the two more tender. Some
! time before the last installments were
| due Isaac one evening when he called
! to collect tore up the notes and left her
the possessor of the machine. Blanche's
| gratitude kindled love. and not long
after this when Isaac proposed under
the name of Nathan Griggs she &C.
cepted him.
She had scarcely given her word
when the postman called and handed
her an answer to the offer of marriage
she had made the multimillionaire sew
eral months before. He informed her
that on receiving her letter and her
picture he had taken pains to learn
something about her. had seen her and
had been so favorably impressed with
her that he had decided to give her
the situation of wife to him.
! Here was situation Of another kind
Blanche had few days before accept
ed a sewing machine agent. and now
comes an offer of marriage from d
multimillionaire.
Blanche fortunately received the let
ter when her mother was upstairs and
knew nothing about it. Blanche took
1t up to her own room and hid it in bel
bureau drawer saying nothing about il
TO her mother whom she knew would
give her no peace till she had broker
with the sewing machine agent anC
accepted the multimillionaire. Isaac
called that evening. He expected t(
find his betrothed in at least a state Of
uncertainty and had but little doubt
that he would receive his dismissal
He found Blanche in no different con
ditfon than usual. except that the
greeting kiss she gave him was trifs
more affectionate.
| Isaac passed the evening expecting
every moment that the letter would bt
mentioned. but when he arose to r
and nothing had been said about it he
began to wonder He had stood behinC
tree on the opposite side Of the
street and seen the postman han(
Blanche a letter and knew that 1t was
his. for he had purpoSeiy put 1t In 8
pink envelope. He had come expecting
Blanche to tell him of her offer
The next day Isaac received a letter
from Blanche in answer to his pro
posal. stating that since her letter t.
him she had received q similar offeI
from one who loved her and whom sht
loved and that it would not be honora
bic nor could she bear to disappoin>
him. She must therefore beg him t.
excuse her.
Isaac on receipt of this letter re
marked to himself. "Since she ia 81
reticent over her affairs / will practice
some retfcence myself" As the wed
ding day approached be told her tina
his straitened circumstances would
require very modest wedding. an(
since he had no house of his own Il
take her to they must remain In he
own home.
The marriage took place in her mod
est abode. after which her husband
drove her to handsome residence
| CEn 1i1 l.
Of capturing a sewing machine agen