The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1911-04-23
THE WINNING
OF NELLIE
D al
By NJ. QUAD
Copyright lsll, by Associated Lit
erary Press,

4
consisted pf pnlg vile and daughter,
the latter being named Ne. liz.
Jacob i.liu wsls not a boaSter in a
general way There w;ss only one par
ticular thing he boosted Of. and that
was that he had never been taken in
and done for by sharper, He had no
sympathy for a man who had Not
that he was always bound TO get the
best of bargain, but that he wanted
to protect himself.
When Nellie Briff was nineteen years
old along came Il 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 aud mother saw the
college chap and their daughter falling
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 an.
preached the father in the usual way
and put the question in the usual way
and stammered and blushed in the
usual way. and the answer was:
TN not saying yes or no just now.
I'll wait q week."
The next day but one Mr. Williams
was told to take a certain horse8to
town and effect a trade. What was
wanted was a 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 rs to the
weight and strength of the other
rs it a test?' asked the wife of hei
husband when the young man had
gone his way.
Aye, Mary. I'm no horse trader, bnt
| do contend that the man who geis
the worst In horse trade will get Tho
worst in everything else. WiliaL.
gets or loses Nellie on this"
But he has never traded horses be
fore. and he isn't used to the way that
men lie and deceive"
But it's his native wit and keen.
ness I'm testing. I'm looking for him
10 get cheated a little. but not too
much"
Five hours later Williams came back
on the horse lie had traded for His
look told of exultation Jacob Brff
received the end Of the halter from
him and began thorough lookover
At the end of twenty minutes he said
There are wind gals fhere are
spayins. there is quarter crack. the
horse is blind In the left eye, and he
has a touch of the heaves."
YES, but the other had bolts, poll
evil and was going blind in both eyes
He was hip locked to boot"
Who told you SOP
rWhy. the fellow traded with"
"Humph. Sound as bell Mr.
Williams, YOU can't have Nellie"
Because I've been cheated in
horse trader
AYE, it was a test. You haven't
got the sho"Nr"ss to hold your own.
You'll have ~ go"
"But, Mr.. Brif. You have been cheat.
cdr was protested
"Tell me when"
''rhen you will be. NJ r." 4 80
sharp that he cant be taken H.
"Eh? Eth? Well, you ~''' IN 81
happens and then come baen u, Mel
lie, providing she is reaC =, ''at n
hundred years. Aye, and .uu shall
have, half of what I'm worth to boot.
Wen talk no more now Have one OF
the men take this wreck out and shoot
it, I'm $3.50 out of pocket"
Mrs. Briff shed tears when she heard
the ultimatum. Miss Nellie was go
ing TO, but she didn't. After a talk
with her lover she even smiled.
Six weeks passed away, and then a
stranger came. He expressed his con
viction that there was box Of silver
buried on the farm
1t was the only thing in the world
that would have excited the farmer
Treasure-and on his farm! How
much?
"At least $780," replied the stranger
--"perhaps a thousand" What share
would Mr.. Briff give him for locating
It?
They haggled over this for q whu,
day. Then. at the solemn / :"
midnight. with divinng rod 10
cate the exact spot. the treas ~
unearthed and carried to the barr.
was in box which was ~ am,
moldy. There was 5000 in silve. ~
dollars. and the coins were wrapped
In brown papers $40 In a roll
Jacob Briff had made a clean 800
in one night, and the stranger was sat
isfied with his end Of the business.
| He had Mr.. Briff's $500 in greenbacks.
| A week passed away, and Jacob
Briff was arrested for passing conn
/ terfeit money. Not a coin OF that
| treasure was genuine And then along
came Mr.. Williams, and in a most jo'
| vial way he announced that he was
! after wife and half the farm.
ibid you do IT." asked the Turner
| II did borrowed the countrrfets
| from the officers who had seized mem
and then hired the stranger 10 j,,ay his
part"
"But thought you had no
| "Well, haven't | won No."n"
| save Won have. and no roN