The Sauk Centre herald., 1915-09-23
A Chicken
Hearted Man
He Was Saved From Ruin
by His Sweetheart
By RUTH GRAHAM

"
Tom Nicholson was certainly very
lovable fellow. AS a boy he was laugh
ed at by his companions for being
what they called chicken hearted
that is, he could not bear to see his
mother chop the head off chicken be-
fore cooking it Like many farmers
boys he left the farm as soon as he
could get away from 1t and went to
the city
But before going Tom found his ro-
nance. Indeed, that was his reason
for going. Ellen Tucker was a slip
of a girl fifteen years old. tall for her
age and straight as an arrow. Every
morning she drove her fathers cows
to pasture, passing the Nicholson farm
One day it rained. and Tom. noticing
that Ellen's shoes were not waterproof.
told her to go home and he would drive
her cows to pasture for her and back
again in the evening. Ellen accepted
the offer. and it won her young heart
After that occasionally the two used
to drive the Tucker cows to and from
pasture. and it was quite natural that
they should become attached to each
other. A boy and a girl in the country
are more readily attracted to each 9th
er than In the city. The route to the
pasture was over wood road, inclos-
ed on each side by trees that in some
parts arched it over. In these the light
was subdued. coming only from sun
beams that pierced the branches. 1t so
happened that one day when passing
through this place Ellen stopped and
remarked upon the stiffness. Naturally
Tom stopped too. He had been walk
ing beside her and was very close to
her.
1t was just as natural for Tom to
put an arm around Ellen's waist. bend
forward and kiss her as for the leaves
to grow on the trees. for insects to
buzz about them. for birds to build
their nests. and it was equally natu-
raj for Ellen to accept that kiss as a
matter of course They liked it so well
that they took several kisses. Then
they went on after the cows.
This Is very well for the birds. who
make their homes by finding straw
here. feather there and. after the
brood comes. bringing worms for food
from the plentiful supply at hand. but
with mankind 1t is different PROPOSE
tion. For awhile the pair were happy
in their newly found love. but 1t was
not long before the necessity of pro-
viding for their future livelihoods
dawned upon them.
This. as have said. is what took
Tom Nicholson to the city. He had
known of men who had gone from the
country to the city and made them
selves far more comfortable there than
they could have done cultiyating the
stony ground about them. Tom said
goodby one day to Ellen. it being un-
derstood between them that when he
became successful he would return and
take her back with him.
Tom made friends so rapidly that for
awhile he got on very well. 1t was
when he had made his start that he
began to lose ground This was be-
cause when he had come to town he
had nothing to give and all fav0rs
passed from others to him. As soon
as he got something the tide turned
the other way After having been in
the city several years he had made
! himself so useful to one Paul Elmen
dorf that the latter gave him part
nership in his business and went away
for a long absence, during which he
proposed to travel and see something
of the world
That was the end of Tom Nicholson's
rise. His chicken heartedness had not
changed a bit. If a poor widow want
ed credit II few tears would bring from
Tom all she desired. Ii a drummer
wished to sell him goods he had no
use for he had only to tell of a suffer
ing wife and children at home and the
sale was made. And so it was that
when the senior partner returned be
found a large deficiency in his bust
ness. with number of loans. gifts
and other outlays charged up to the
juniors individual account.
Elmendorf was very much disgrun
tleui 1T al eUHCe ulSSOiNGu stut' uIlu
and Tom was put out to shift for him
self. His former partner kept an eye
on him and whenever Toms affairs
seemed to look up a bit would make an
effort to collect the money standing to
his debit on the books of the concern
Elmendorf always sent collector to
dun his debtor AT first be tried very
gentlemanly persons. who were in
structed to try to persuade Tom to pay
something on account: but. since Tom
had nothing to pay with. they got moth
ing Then the creditor sent bully
He came back with broken nose.
Several others who tried to force mat
ters received the same treatment.
Meanwhile Ellen Tucker was still
driving the cows to pastnre-and alone.
Tom wrote her encouraging letters till
his partner returned from his travels:
then the letters suddenly stopped
Tom could not bear TO write her that
he had come to grief and their union
was farther away than ever Ellen
endured his silence and her suspense
as long as she could fhPn resolved TO