Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-09-28
The Evening Story
A Hornely
Courtship
b. SUSAN YOUNG PORTER


rent That was when the canal boat
was the chief means Of transportation
In America. At one time they were
used 40 passenger boats. Then. under
competition with the railroads. they
sank into freighting only. and now they
have almost entirely passed away.
In those freight1ng days man named
Shock drove mule on the towpath
which pulled . boat Shock was ~
homely ~ his name. He had never
had sweetheart, and there was little
hops Of his ever having one. for when.
ever . woman looked at him she was
appalled,.
There was, some three or four hun.
dred yards from the canal, at about
the center Of Shocks route. . tumble
down house In . small lot In one corn.
or Of which was piIsty. Ono day.
when Shock was trudgins along b.
hind his mule, he saw at an open win.
dow In the dilapidated trap Z female
nsure. She was too far OF for him to
see what she looked like. but she wav.
cd something white, which Enoch took
to b q tAbleclcth. Whether she was
trying to nirt with him or was shaking
the crumbs out Of the cloth he could
not be sure. Taking a bandanna from
his pocket be returned the wave.
Now. Enoch was cognixant Of the
fact that he was not beautiful. His
hair was fiery red, his nose was q
pug the color Of his hair. his teeth
were mostly gone. Had It not been
for this hs might have made bold on
his return trip to give his mule . rest
and gone to the house awoolng. A. It
was. and since this was the only
chance no had ever met. he was wary.
He thought It better to make some
Roadway in lovemaking before risking
showing the lady his homely person at
close proximity. 80. instead Of stop.
ping when no passed again. having
provided himself with a boys blow
gun. he nred a wad Of paper at her.
which being unrolled revealed the fol-
lowing note:
1 seen you at yurs windsr yistaday and
wood like very much to max yure 90.
Quaintenc.
The lady was watching for the boat
on its return trip. and when Enoch
fred his note at her she saw It fall
near her house and. going out picked
It up and read 1t. But by this time
Epoch had gone on his way.
When Enoch passed the house again
he saw large letters chalked against
the house. which. though It had been
originally white. not having been paint
ed in twenty years. was now a dull
brown. The letters were plainly visi.
bic from the canal, and Enoch read:
I can't see Whist you look like from
yere. but you may be decent lookin' fell
lor and II you cir you kin como and see
ME.
This reply was rather a setback to
one who knew full well that he was
homely as a hedgehog. The communi-
cation was brief. and 1t contained ex.
actly what Enoch would have preferred
that it should not contain. The lady
evidently was looking for handsome
man. The message convinced him
that he was right in not permitting her
to see him close by before he had
stirred up some sentiment which might
lead her to overlook In q measure his
LONELINESS.
Enoch's next love letter was written
In lampblack on several boards nailed
together and set up on the deck Of his
canalboat facing the house Of his In.
amorata. It read:
II you ar . purity woman wood b hap
py TO stop over. Hain't got no use fer
ugly wimmen.
When Enoch passed the house the
next time the blinds were all closed
and no living thing was to DO seen ex-
cept few chickens scratching the dirt
in the yard. Enoch was disappointed.
It was plain to him that this was in.
tended for q snub. On his next trip
he wrote on his boards. "What's up?"
To which was chalked the reply.
'Nothin,."
Enoch reasoned that his lady love
had been mifted at his previous COM
munication, thinking that he had &C
cused her Of being homely. but hav.
ing thought the matter over. she had
seen his note in another light he
began to think that faint heart never
won fair lady" and he might As we'll
face the music one time ~ another.
So he wiped the iampblack OF his
boards and wrote again:
lie stop over neg trip.
When be passed again he was ar
rayed in a store suit that had cost him
-. His hair had been creased with a
slice Of fat and his boots had been
BACKED. Stopping bis mule-and the
boat when II had lost its momentum
he proceeded to the house Of his lady
love She had been watching him
from q window and opened the door
for him.
LAWS q marsyr was her exclama-
uou.
by gumw was Enoch's.
The woman bad lost most Of the hair
IN hAr head which seemed to have