The daily Alaskan., 1915-01-18
A Christmas
 w Wedding
By OSCAR COX

Y By OSCAR COX
 Jim RuggIes drove a mule, and yet he was a grade higher than a mule driver What put Jim mp peg was the fact that his mule lowed canal boat. Jim was not especially proud Of his mule. but he was very proud of his uoat. He could tie up nights. picket h;s mule and turn into thr luxurious quarters in the stern for Gund sleep.
 Most of the other boats on that canal contained families. Jim was lone bachelor. and when he passed other boats and saw clothes hanging ont 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 one Christmas that he kept the towpath all Gay to drive away the blues. And even then he couldn't help seeing the win GnwS along his route hung with ever greens and children running about showing one another the toys that san. ta Claus hud brought them.
 There waS small house q short dis ,ancc from the canal in which there lived an old woman. She kept chick . cns. a cow and several pigs. Jim had no interest in the place until one day when he was passing with his boat comedy young woman emerged from 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 grunting pigs.
 Men have fallen in love to the sound of lutc. Probably their refined na. lures could not have fallen into the same condition to the grunting of pigs struggling for swil But Jim was not gentleman: he was mule driver. At any rate. that's exactly what he did His lonely heart yearued for that red checked girl. and love was born within him on the same principle that 1t Is born in a man listening to lute,
 As Jim went back and forth on the towpath whenever he passed that house he looked for the girl with rhe red cheeks. One day he reached the place just as she stepped out into tue ward Naturally. seeing q boat moving bv. she looked at it. Then, seeing Jim, she looked at him. He was only a man driving mule attached to ca nalhoat, but perhaps she was signing for q mate, just as Jim was. At any rate. she didn't look away till she had noticed m admiring look on Jim's hon. est. but homely, face. As he passed on she continued to look at him.
 The next time she saw the boat go by if was in the late fall, but the ics had not closed navigation. Jim hga an ovcrcoat buttoned tight around him and was smoking a short pipe On the deck of his boat was board prop ped up to show chaked letters. Christ mus k comiu'."
 How did that girl know that this was message for her: Maybe she didn't. but the next time Jim passed thr house he saw Chalkrd on the ruOf of the pi~Sty. Hope you'll enjoy 1t.
 The ice was hroken-nOt in the canal, but the ice of nonacquaintance be tween these two piuers for each other The next passing message was, How would you like to spend it on canal Uuat?" To which was made reply "FuSt rate"
 Much less has been taken for pro pusal of marriage and um acceptance The singular part of It is that the con tract In this case was made DeIore these two had a closer view of each other than hundred yards. Never rhrlrss Jim regarded the matter set tied, and his heart was OTerJOyed that he would not have to spend the com ing Christmas on the towpath to keep s from being lonely.
 His next message was Christmas eve?" To which he received a reply, Isn't that student" 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 for a sight of his ladyloye. Presently she . appeared at a window and threw him a kiss. He was not satisfied with this and waited longer, but she did not ap' pear again. Turning the board oyer' hc chaIked on the other side, Be ready Christmas eve" Having waited till he felt sure she had seen his message, he drove on.
 The day before .ChrI$tmas Jim loaded