Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1911-04-05
THE WINNING
OF NELLIE
By M. QUAD
Copyright. 1911. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By M. QUAD


consisted of only wife and daughter,
the latter being named Nellie.
Jacob Briff was not boaster In a
general way. There was only one par
ticular thing he boosted OF. and that
was that he had never been taken In
and done for by IA sharper. He had no
sympathy for a man who had. Not
that he was always bound to get the
best Of a bargain, but that he wanted
to protect himself.
When Nellie Briff was nineteen years
old along came n college chap seeking
employment for the summer. He was
so superior to the average farm hand /
that he was taken into the house to |
lodge. The father and mother saw the /
college chap and their daughter falling I
in love and for time had little to say. |
The day came. however. when Jacob /
! said:
Look here. Mary, that young man
is going to ask us for Nellie pretty
soon"
Yes. think So
Two weeks later the young man ap-
preached the father in the usual way
ana put the question in the usual way
and stammered and blusbed in the
usual way. and the answer was:
I'm not saying yes or no just now.
! I'll wait week.
The next day but one Mr. Williams
was told To take n certain horse to
town aud effect II trade. What was
wanted waS heavier horse for the
farm work The animal he took was
perfectly sound In wind and limb.
though nothing was said about that.
He WAS simply cautioned as to the
weight and strength of the other.
''Is 1t a testf" asked the wife Of her
husband when the young man had
gone his way.
Aye. Mary. I'm no horse trader. but
do contend that the man who gets
the worst In Il horse trade Will get the
worst in everything else. Williams
gets or loses Nellie on this"
But he has never traded horses be-
fore, and be- Isn't used to the way that
nen lie and deceive"
"Bu; It's his native wit and keen
ness I'm testing. I'm looking for him
20 ger cheated little. but not too
much
Five LlurS later Williams car3e back
ON the horse he had traded for. His
. look Told Of eXultatiOn. Jacob Bril-
$ received the end Of the halter from
i him ani began thorough lookOver.
Al the end of twenty minutes he said:
There are wind gals. there are
spavins. there is Il quarter crack. the
3 horse is blind in the left eye, and he
4 has touch Of the heaves."
Yes. but the other had bolts. poll
nd vroS erniuo blind In, hOfh avaa
d He was hip locked TO boot"
b "Who told you sop
lie "Why, the fellow I traded with"
"Humph, Sound as n bell Mr.
Williams. you can't have Nellie"
Because I've been cheated in q
horse trader
d AYE. it was a test. You haven't
got the sharpness to hold your own
You'll have to CO."
Il But, Mt. Brifr. you have been cheat
y ed!' was protested.
Tell me when"
Then you will be. No man is 81
sharp that. he can't be taken In"
10 "Eh? En-? Well. you wait TIL 1
n. happens and then come back for Mel
T lie. providing she is ready TO wait
hundred years Aye. and you shall
have half of what I'm worth to boot
Wen talk no more now. Have one o
the men take this wreck out and shoe
It. I'm $3.50 out OF pocket"
." Mrs. Briff shed tears when she hear
the ultimatum. Miss Nellie was &c
IN ing 10. but she didn't. After a tai
-, with her lover she even smiled.
Six weeks passed away. and then
&C stranger came He expressed his cor
viction that there was a box Of silve
buried on the farm.
a' 1t was the only thing in the worl
u" that would have excited the farme
Treasure-and on his farm! Ho
much?
NC AT least $780," replied the strange
-"perhaps II thousand" What shat
would Mr.. Briff give him for locatir
It?
OF They haggled over this for who
ze' day Then. at the solemn hour
ms midnight. with Il divining rod to
cafe the exact spot the treasure W,
unearthed and carried to the barn.
was N box which was old al
TOT moldy There was 5000 In silver ha
MS dollars, and the coins were wraps
an In brown paper-S5O In a roll.
Jacob Brff had made q clean 81
mo In one night. and the stranger was 81
IAN isfied with his end OF the bushes
He had Mr.. Brifr's $500 in greenbacl
A week passed away, and JAG
pa Bril- was arrested for passing cou
and terfeit money. Not a coin OF tt
hey treasure was genuine. And then alo
f came Mr.. Williams. and In most