Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1912-04-25
JOSHUA SKEDADDLES
Audubon county's Witty Farmer, Pa.
nic-Stricken by Unheralded Ar
rival of Cousin Minerva.
Flies the Coop

The letter below, received from Lena
at the Journal office yesterday, ex-
plains itself:
Editor of Journal,
Dear Sir:-There is something doing
all right at our house, and can't seem
to get it into my head just how it is
going to turn out.
You remember I sent one of Joshua's
Journal letters to Cousin Minerva in
Illinois, who is an old maid about AZ
years old. But Joshua got cute, and
when her answer came he never opened
it but left it to cool off, he said, until
next winter.
Well, | was really stumped when he
got out of it that way, because l had
put great faith in Cousin Minerva and
thought she would straighten him out
with a pretty smart jerk.
Anyhow, when | saw that INV
scheme hadn't worked. I thought it
over carefully, ana decided that the
only thing to do was to have Cousin
Minerva come right here in person and
tell him what was what So 1 wrote
her letter and told her I wished she
would come right quick, but 1 didn't
tell her why. Then l waited for re-
suits; but everything seems to be
against me some way, and it began to
go wrong right off.
To begin with Cousin Minerva tele-
graphed ahead that she was coming.
Of course that was bad mistake, but
she didn't know it. Anyhow, when
Joshua got the message he was the
most panicky man you ever saw, but
at first I felt pretty good for it was easy
to see that we had him on the run and
going some at that. But would you
believe it? That night he left home so
quiet that never suspected what he
had in his mind, and / haven't eeen or
heard of him since. | haven't the least
idea where he is and I don't know
what ought to do about it. 1 sup
pose the Journal will get a letter from
him of course this week, and if you do
l wish you would notice the postmark
and let me know SO can get him back.
Really, his skipping out was dread
full shock to me, but I had another all
right the next day when Cousin Min
va arrived One of the very first
things she asked me was if Joshua had
got her letter printed in the paper.
couldn't believe my ears when she
asked me about it, SO 1 just stood
speeehless and asked her what she
meant. And what do you think? 1t
turned out that when she had got
Joshua's letter that sent her, she had
just sat down and written one that was
as foolish as his or worse, and sent it
back for him 10 put in the Journal.
just think of it! And here I had got
her to come clear from Illinois to help
me squelch Joshua. 1t was mighty
lucky all light that Joshua was so
badly scared and lett it to cool off, for
it would have been pretty hard on the
JOuAAaA W Lave TWO 6uCu DdleS OF
foolishness in it all at once. That
night found her letter in Joshua's cd
desk after she had gone to bed. 1t was
the awfullest lot of nonsense you ever
heard about the troubles of an old
bachelor that tried to be a Judge at a
baby show. And to think that Cousin
Minerva wrote it. l was never so be-
fuddled in all my life before. 1t makes
me feel all woozly every time 1 think
of it. In fact l don't care now if
Joshua doesn't come back until she
goes home for don't know what
would do with two such silly people
around. Still, of course 1 wish you
would let me know where he is, if you
know.
Faithfully Yours,
LENA
Editors Note:-The letter above