Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1910-02-24
Copyright. 1907. by A. S. Barnes @ Co.

board went to the bottom. Twas the
handiest place to go.
Anyway, we was there, and l was
propping up the stove with my feet
and holding down a chair With the
rest of me when Jonadab heaves
alongside flying distress signals. He
had an envelope in his starboard nit
ten and, coming to anchor with a fop
in the next chair, sets shifting the
thing from one hand to the other as if
twas red hot.
"Twas a queer looking envelope,
more'n the average length fore and
aft, but kind of scant in the beam.
There was a puddle Of red sealing wax
on the back Of it, with a ID" in the
middle, and up in one corner was a
kind Of picture thing in colors, with
some printing in a foreign language
underneath it. The envelope was adj
dressed to Captain Jonadab Wixon,
Orham. Mass"
"Twas in my box" says he. Must
have come in tonight's NALL
l didn't know the mail was sorted,
but when he says that l unlocked my
box, n l swan to man if there want
another envelope, just like Jonadab's,
except that twas addressed to Bar
zilla Wingate."
"Humph," says l, coming back to
the stove, you amt the only one
that's heard from the Prince OF
Wales! Look hereH!
He was the most surprised man hut
M on the Cape. l was the one. We
couldn't make head nor tail OF the
business and set there comparing the
envelopes and wondering who on earth
had sent 'em.
Then we opened up the envelopes,
both at the same time. Inside of each
of 'em was another envelope, slick and
smooth as a mack'reIs back, and in
side of that was a letter, printed, but
looking like the kind of writing that
used to be in the copybook at school.
1t said that Ebenezer Dillaway begged
the honor Of our presence at the mar
rage Of his daughter Belle to Peter
'T~heodosius Brown at Dillamead
House, Cashmere-on-the-Hudson Feb.
q, nineteen hundred and so forth.
We were surprised, Of course, and
pleased in II way because Peter had
done so much for us, managing the Old
Home House, our summer hotel at
Wellmouth Port.
Well, we see twas our duty to go,
so we went. l had a new Sunday cut
away and light pants to go with it, so
/ fggered that I was pretty we'll found,
but Cap'n Jonadab had to pry him
self loose from considerable money,
and every cent hurt as if twas nailed
on.
We struck Cashmere-on-the-Hudso
about 3 o'clock on the afternoon Of the
day of the wedding, but when we hove
in sight Of Observation-Disclosures place
we shortened sail and pretty nigh
drew out of the race. Twas up on a
high bank over the river. and the
house itself was bigger than four Old
Homes spliced together. 1t had a fair
sized township around it in the shape
of land, with a high stone wall for
trimming on the edges.
SWELL" I says to Jonadab, lit looks
to me as if we was getting out Of
%soundings. What do you say to COM
ing about and making a quick run for
Orham again?"
But he wouldn't hear of it. "S'pose
I've spent all that money on duds for
nothing?" he says. mo, sir, by thun-
der: l amt scared of Peter Brown
nor her that's going to be his wife, and
I amt scared of Ebenezer neither, no
matter if he does live in the Manu-
facturers' building, with two or three
thousand fathom of front fence" he
says.
Cali right" says l.. Darn the tor
pedoes! Keep her as she is! You can
fire when ready, Gridleyv
So we sot sail for what we jedged
was Ebenezer's front gate, and just as
we made it Il man comes whistling
round the bend in the path, and I'm
blessed it 'twa'n't Peter T. Brown!
He was 1sgged to kill, as usual, only
more so.
"Hello. Peterw I says. "Here we
be-"
swell I'll be- he begun and then
stopped.
what in the -" he commenced
again, and again his breath died out.
Fin'lly he says, "Is this you, or had 1
better quit and try another pipeY'
We told him twas us, and it seemed
to me that he want nigh so tickled
as he'd ought to have been. When he
found we'd come to the wedding count
Of Ebenezer sending us word he didn't
say nothing for a minute or SO.
"Of course we had to GOMEZ says
Jonadab. I'VE felt 'twouldn't be right
to disapp'int Mr.. Dillaway."
Peter kind of twisted his mouth.
"That's So" he says. It'll be worth
more'n a box OF diamonds to him. Do
him more good than Joining a Don't
Worry club Well, come on up to the
house and ease his mind"
So we done 1t. and Nbenezer acted
even more surprised than Peter.
can't tell you anything about that
house nor the fxings in 1t. 1t beat me
n miie-that house did, We had O