The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-09-15
LOVE And CONTEST
By JANE OSBORN.

sha was spending her usual aitef-sup-
per boar on me front stoop but her
thoughts were far from the songbirds.
open Ia her lap was the latest issue or
fhp Hearth Conpanlan The magazine
was open M the editorial pages and
there in large black faced type one
might have seen these words; our |
Heart nroblcm Contest"
~ you have heart problem, we
want sou 10 write aud tell MS about II. |
Prizes win be awarded for The best let-
Ter and as many Of the other letters
as possible VIII receive personal an
swers with advice from one Of our edi-
tors
As size rose from tile step she was
too intent on her project TO see the |
tall erect. though muscle-weary fig !
ure Of 81 Earned as he came from his
Iasf duties IN the barn, through the
shadow of the house. 81 enjoyed the
distinction Of being the one and only
hired man" on the Cramer farm.
Metty stole quietly to her fathers
desk and took from it the sole bottle
Of ink which the Cramer establish
ment boasted and, with this and her
1athers pen ia hand she ascended 70
her own room, there TO work out her
nroblem, rs she regarded it, Mean
time 81 sank down on the porch step.
Why had Mctty avoided him, he asked
himself ana then he answered this
question to his own satisfaction. "Of
course, she wouldn't look at hired
help like me- he told himself. "Some
city man viii come along for her and
then she won't look at me-
lie thought he might be able to see
Metty If he. went into the house, so,
absentmindedly picking up the maga-
zine where Metty had left it, he rose
aud made his way into the sitting
room
Metty wasn't there, so the next best
/ thing fhat occurred TO him 20 do was
to read the ncw number Of the Hearth
/ Companion.
On The last page of the magazine
beyond ihe frontispiece he came to the
editorial aud, wiHi keen attention 10
every word he laborcd through IT.
Then cautiously lie went TO Cramer's
desl, and took ouf pencil delyed in
to The woodboX for piece of discard
,d wrapping paper and starred toward
the door with the magazine under his
arm
Ii was d month later, and neither
Nefty nor Si had received tlle answer
to Tie problem that confronted Them.
Then came the Hearth Companion and
/ as Mr.. Cramer had oyertaken the mail
carrier on his way back from the vil-
lage that morning. ne had come into
possession Of themagazlne first
Il guess YOU want to get look at
/ the new fashions, he told Metty as he
came into the house and, passing It TO
her he turned 10 81, who had come in
from the fields for his midday dinner.
"Here, 81, here's Il letter from the
magazine folks. I guess they want you
to Subscribe to their magazine. And,
by gravy, if there isn't letter for
Metty tooH
81 opened his letter hurriedly with
cut excusug himself, and his strong
sun-burncd hand was fairly shaking
with emotion ind surprise when he
took out an ohlong OF white paper, on
which was written an order for one
/ hundred dollars payable to 81 Larned.
1--WE take great pleasure in announcing
to YOU that your letter has heen
awarded the first prize in our heart
! problem contest" it ran. by way Of
giving you the help and advice we
promised we wish to attract your at
tonti0n TO the letter published under
the tenth place in the contest"
While Metty was still reading her
letter--which announced that she had
won now patent vegetable press as
Il reward for having the tenth best let
ter, 81 grasped the magazine which she
had laid on the table. lie turned past
his own letter-which was published
exactly as he had written it, save for
the omission of his name-and passed
on till he came to the tenth letter.
Could this really have been written by
Mctty?
4 have not the slightest hope of
winning price, the letter ran after
/ giving a more or less minute auto
biographical sketch. My only wish
in writing is that someone wiser than
I myself might give me advice. / am an
uneducated simple farmers daughter,
My problem is the old, old problem.
love a young man who works for my
father l think I could make him love
me if could only live in different sur
/ roundinGS love the country and
country ife, but / believe he has ann
4 billions. know ! could never be happy
anywhere hut ia this or some similar
secluded spot Ny heart problem is
this: Since I cannot be happy in the
way HAT would correspond to this
mans ambitious, have I any right TO
make him love meg And since in his
eyes / must be simple country girl,
how could / make him love me any
way9e
So intent had 81 been in reading first
The letter ana then the magazine that
he did not realize that Metty was at
his side reading the pages over his
shoulder.
Were You writing the gospel truth,
Nfaff.t o. no o.i-oa