Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1911-10-27
CLAYTON'S
CORDIAL
BY M. QUAD
Copyright, 1911. by Associated Lit
i+f erary Press.

When you take spinster who has
got to be forty years old, who has got
a large mouth, whose nose tits up at
the end, who has a cast in one eye,
who is tall and scrawny and has
limp, you must figure out that her
chances Of getting married are not
more than one in thousand.
Such woman was Sarah Clayton
Of Harpersville. For thirty years she
had been the champion homely girl
and woman of Bennett county. She
realized it, but she couldn't help it.
Sarah's father and mother didn't like
her looks at all. Some folks were
mean enough to say that fastened
their end. Sarah had two brothers.
They ran away and went west to be
killed by the Indians. Some folks say
that If Sarah had been reasonably
good looking girl neither brother would
have left home. At the age of twenty
eight she was an orphan and brother
less, and. while the property she in
herited was enough to give her q COM
Portable living. it was not enough to
bring a husband.
While Sarah realized all the draw
backs. she was not entirely Giscourag-
ed. She had a belief that something
would happen some day. and she
didn't go around making herself and
other folks miserable. Twelve years
came and went and nothing happened,
but she was still on the job.
At the state election, with the TEN.
perance question as an issue, Bennett
county and four others surrounding it
went dry-no more Of the foamy, no
more corn juice.
You can't figure out what this tenn
perance question bad to do with Sarah
Clayton, who scarcely knew what was
going on until Bennett county was as
dry as a bone. Well, homely as she
was, Sarah understood the man side
OF human nature very well. She knew
there would be an intense longing for
the unattainable.
After the temperance movement was
In full swing and the pinch was on
"Clayton's cordial" appeared. It pass
ed as soft drink. Some folks said it
was cider, some root beer and some
thought it came under the head of
ginger ale. Whatever it was, it bore
the label as above, and it jumped into
popularity at once. 1t filled an aching
void. 1t soothed and comforted. It
quenched that longing in the neck.
1t did more. It saved hundreds of
homes on the point Of being wrecked.
1t had got SO that not one husband
out of twenty in the five counties
could speak e decent word to his wife
once in three days. And then there
were loss Of ambition, indigestion,
headaches. pains in the stomach and
giddiness, and all these things the cor
dial was warranted to and did drive
away in short order.
Sarah made the first fifty bottles
with her own hands. Then she had
to hire boy, then she had to hire g
man as well, then she had put it on
sale at the drug store. Nothing ever
made name for itself as fast as
"Clayton's cordial" It could not be
made and bottled fast enough to sup.
ply orders. OF course the spinster
had calls from men who wanted t.
buy her secret. A dozen in her OWL
town stood ready to pay good price
Tor 1t. There were two sorts Of men
came-married and unmarried. The
married men were turned down al
once. The secret was not for sale
The unmarried ones were told that
the cordial must stay in the family
That wasn't saying right out that nc
one but husband would be given the
recipe, but the unmarried callers
caught on one after another There
was money in that recipe, but there
was Sarah behind it-Sarah the home
~. They thought of the balmy cor
dial and then looked at the homely
woman. No, no! It was too much
Sarah understood and rid not blame
them. Neither was she cast down
She just went right ahead turning oul
the great and only discovery and sup
plying other markets, and the orders
and dollars kept rolling in.
And one day he came. He was an old
bachelor Of forty-fve. He had spent
most of his years in the woods and far
from women. He had never even
thought Of marriage. He wasn't bad
looking man, and he bore a good char.
acter. He happened to see Sarah Clay.
ton in the postofice, and in the jerk OF
a lambs tail he was in love. In bis
eyes she was the most charming WON.
an he had ever seen. She must be his
or life would be naught to him. With.
out having heard of her cordial from
any one he followed her home and
told his love and gave her half an
hour to make up her mind.
"But I am afraid you are actuated
by mercenary motives" she said.
"Why, I've got enough to keep us
both and am making more all the
time"
"But you see have made whole
lot of money out of my cordial
"Cordial be hanged! If you have any
money use It to buy clothes with"
"And you are not after the recipe?'
"Never had recipe il my life and
don't want one. I wa-t you"
After the marriage Sarah was will
ing to sell the recipe. When the bcs:
offer had been reached she wrote 1t
down:
"Old cider, twenty parts
"Ginger. two parts.
"Horseradish, five parts.
"Brandy. seventy-three parts"
"That is ALL" she said.
"And you've made $1,000 and a hus-
band out Of it?'