Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-09-15

There wasn't any wager" said
Jonathan. "That was lie I told you
about the wager"
Then then you didn't propose to
me Just to 'cinch the matter'?" she
asked.
mo" said Jonathan. ~ proposed
because had a notion OF marrying
you" ri
And this time Phoebe accepted.
WooING SALLY PLUM.
BY Lawrence Alfred Clay.
copyright, 1910, by Associated Liter
airy Press.)
The records of the Plum family
bear witness that Sally Plum, as a
baA1. a child and young girl, was
different from others. She was Sc
date and serene from the first. She
went through scarlet rash and whoop-
ing cough and measles without a
complaint. She had no use for rag
dolls and play houses. She did not
climb trees nor play marbles with
the boys.
At the age Of sixteen Sally attended
a Sunday school picnic which lasted
all day. The only time during the
day she was heard to utter remark
was when a woman asked her If she
wasn't sorry she came. She replied:
Eyes, ma'am,' and that was all.
It was because Sally was so diff
ferent from other girls that her
grandfather left her $4,000. He also
left Sally's widowed mother half that
In vii To- va
and we're the richest persons in It.
Besides being odd and different
Sally was plain OF face and rather
awkward of figure. At twenty she
had never thought love nor talked it.
No young man had walked with her.
She had never read novel, and she
did not know the meaning Of romance.
She cooked and washed and ironed
and baked and sewed CARPET rags, and
was serene
What's going to happen to a plain
girl who inherits $4,000? She's going
to have offers of marriage, Of
course more offers than a cookbook
ing girl without any cash Sally Plum
began to have offers. The first came
from Deacon Harper. The deacon was,
fifty, had four children, and was
looking around for good thing. He
dropped in to court Sally. The
mother left them together a whole
evening, and the only words Sally
uttered during the three long hours
was in reply to the deacon's question
as to why she was SO silent. She
thought for a moment and then re-
piled:
Cause I've got stone bruise on
my heel!' s.
The deacon didn't relinquish his
plans, hut he felt tired.
The merchant of the village was an
| old bachelor. He had known Sally
for years and years. Considering that
$40, 900, with the additional fact that
her mother owned her house and that
he could live there rent free. 1t
wouldn't be a bad matter for him,
He also went wooing. Sally was cut
ting carpet rags that evening. She
|;cut and sewed and wound them into
balls, and he talked and talked. He
had been to New York, Boston and
Chicago. He had seen man hung.
He had almost seen mad dog. His
brother John had been robbed on the
highway. All these things he men
toned in hope Of drawing Sally out.
She didn't draw. She kept the same
sober face and silent lips from start
to finish. There were times when she
looked at the man, but what's a look?
The merchant worked harder to
draw Sally out and break the ice than
he ever had to sell $500 worth OF
goods, but not word from her until
he had his hat in his hand to go.
Then she made long speech, for her.
She asked:
"Did the man you saw hung kick
around much ?"
The third candidate was William
Simms. He was twenty-three years
old and worked in sawmill. He was
plain-faced young man and not
much given to talk. He came court
ing with small package in his hand,
and when left alone with Sally he
handed her the package with the
remark:
"Some spruce gum that got on
the logs this afternoon.
Sally accepted and began to chew.
She was knitting that evening. MT.
Simms canted his chair back ION It's
hind legs against the wall and said
nothing further. He had killed big
black snake In the mill yards that
day. but he didn't mention it. He
had heard at the postoffice that a
trolley car in Philadelphia had run
|off the track and killed five passen-
gers, but he didn't repeat 1t. In fact
he dozed and nodded and slept, and
lit was the clock striking 10 that
aroused him. Sally had knit and
chewed and had a real good time.
Bring you some more gum some
time" said Mr.. Simms as he rose up
land yawned and took his departure.
Gums good" was Sally's reply as
she shut the door after him.
The fourth man came from a village
ten miles away. He was a lawyer,
about thirty years old. He was talk
alive and up to date. He made an
afternoon call. He decided that Sally
was plain, but that the $4,000 was
good. He had travelled, and he set
out to arouse the girls interest and
curiosity. He told her OF Niagara
- -.1o+ o;f{nc-fhn fro hnto1c