The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-01-01
A Christmas
Wedding
BY OSCAR cox

III Oy O0N1\ WI ii
Jim RuggIes drove a mule, and yet
be was q grade higher than q mule
driver. What put Jim up a peg was
the fact that his mule towed a canal
boat. Jim was not especially proud Of
his mule, but he was very proud Of his
boat. He could tie up nights. picket
his mule and turn into the luxurious
quarters in the stern for a good sleep.
Most Of the other boats on that canal
contained families. Jim was a lone
bachelor. and when he passed other
boats and saw clothes hanging out to
dry he felt more lonely than ever. and
when he saw dirty faced children look.
ing at him out of the stern windows 1t
made him positively homesick.
The hardest days for Jim to get
through were holidays. There was q
Christmas that he kept the towpatb all
day to drive away the blues. And even
then he couldn't help seeing the win
dows along his route hung with ever
greens and children running about
showing one another the toys that San.
Ia Claus had brought them.
There was a small house a short dis
lance from the canal in which there
lived an old woman. She kept chick.
ems, a COW and several pigs. Jim had
no interest in the place until n day
when he was passing with bis boat a
n@vrn0y mr. uynnnOn n"0PO06 fr0m
the house with a bucket In her hand
and dumped the contents into the pig
sty. Jim passed out of sight Of the red
checked girl with a bucket to the mu-
sic of granting pigs.
Men have fallen in love to the sound
Of a lutte. Probably their refined M
lures could not have fallen into the
same condition to the %grunting Of pigs
struggling for swill. But Jim was not
q gentleman: he was a mule driver. AT
any rate, that's exactly what he did
His lonely heart yearned for that red
checked girl. and love was born within
him on the same principle that 1t Is
born in a man listening to a lutte.
As Jim went back and forth on the
towpath whenever he passed that
house he looked for the girl with the
red cheeks. One day he reached the
place just as she stepped out into the
yard. Naturally. seeing a boat moving
by. she looked at 1t. Then, seeing Jim.
she looked at him. He was only a
man driving a mule attached to a ca.
nalboat. but perhaps she was signing
for a mate, just as Jim was. At any
rate, she didn't look away till she had
noticed an admiring look on Jim's o
est. but homely, face. As he passed
on she continued to look at him.
The next time she saw the boat 60
by it was in the late fall, but the ice
had not closed navigation. Jim had
an overcoat buttoned tight around him
and was smoking a short pipe. On
the deck of his boat was a board prop
ped up to show chalked letters. 'Christ
mas Is comm"
How did that girl know that this
was a message for her? Maybe she
didn't. but the next time Jim passed
the house he saw chalked on b roof
Of the pigsty. Hope you'll enjoy It."
The ice was brOken-nOt in the canal.
but the ice of noncompliance be
tween these two piners for each other
The next passing message was. How
would you like to spend it on u canal
bOat!" To which was made a reply.
"Fust rate"
Much less has been taken for Il pro
pOsal of marriage and an acceptance.
The singular part of it is that the con
tract in this case was made before
these two had a closer view OF each
other than Il hundred yards. Never
theless Jim regarded the matter set
tied, and his heart was overjoyed that
he would not have to spend the com
ing Christmas ON the towpath to keep
from being lonely.
His neXt message was christmas
eve:" To which he received a reply
isn't that suddentY' On seeing this
loving message chalked in beautiful
pure white letters on the roof of the
pigsty Jim halted his mule, sat down
on the deck Of his boat with his legs
dangling over the side and waited fOl
q sight Of his ladylove. Presently sht
appeared at a window and threw him
q kiss. He was not satisfied with this
and waited longer, but she did % ap
pear again. Turning the board over
he chalked on the other side, BE ready
Christmas eve." Having waited till he
felt sure she had seen his message, be
drove on.
The day before Christmas Jim loaded
up ut the terminal with Christmas vi
ands and on his way out again called
on a parson living beside a church that
he had often noticed near the girls
house. The parson promised to be Oh
hand on Christmas eve.
Mind you, Jim was taking it all OF
faith. He didn't know what the CIR
would do. but he said that he kind o
reckoned she would" Dusk was fall
ing on Christmas eve when Jim's
home. containing a bridal-C Christmas
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