Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-07-22
= An =
Unrornantic Lover
By M QUAD
Copyright. 1916. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate
By M QUAD

to work from sun to sun without /
complaint If any one had asked the /
farmer about his hired man he would |
have replied that nothing allied Henry /
So it would have been with every one |
who knew him, man and woman, ex--
cept Nettie White the daughter of an
other farmer mile way. Her COM
plant would have been that he hadn't |
a speck of romance in his nature.
After counting Nettie White for six
months the time came when he admit
ted to himself that she would make
good wife for him. Nettle White was
not entirely satisfied with his court
ship, but she got to like Henry Strong
for his candor and honesty.
Henry's education had been gained
at little country schoolhouse- Once
in awhile he would pick up the weekly
paper and read for half an hour, but
he had never read book of any kind
On the contrary, Nettie was quite well
educated and had read every book she
could lay her hands on. She had read
of c1evaliers, knights and heroes ga
lore, and she had wished many a time
that Henry would come riding with
SLee0 anu -ElCo anu beSlT hST OIL ANS
for Henry His 'steed'' was the old
white mare which was blowing out the
corn, and his lance was q well worn
hoe which he used in the potato field.
On summer nights. when they sat On
the front steps and the full moon rose
up in all its radiance and the whip
poorwin sang from the grove back of
the barn, Nettie looked for Henry to
say notwithstanding about the.
| romance of the evening. But what
| Henry said was:
ct wonder If 1t is true that the moon
| is mostly composed of buttermilkp'
| At length Henry proposed marriage.
Perhaps he was as romantic about it
| as he could be, but there was no emo
| ton in his voice and no weakness In
| his knees as he leaned his chair back
| on it's hind legs against the house and
| carelessly said:
| "Oh, Nettie, 1 almost forgot what i
| was going to say to you this evening
i guess we had better be married some
day. What do you think about it3''
1t is useless to tell what she thought
| about it, but after that evening they
considered themselves engaged
/ One day Henry's fiancee got "a bril-
liant thought. Henry might not be ro-
mantle. but he might be heroic, which
Is mostly but not quite the same thing
II she could make hero of him she
would at least be half satisfied. She
thought the thought over for several
days and was then ready to put Plan
into execution.
Not far from Nettie's house was the
house of a farmers daughter, who fire.
euently exchanged visits with her. BY
cutting across an old pasture quarter
of miles walk could be saved. In
that old pasture Henry's employer KEPT
q bull
Henry Strong was blowing out pota
toes one forenoon about IL O'Clock, ani
he was neither feeling romantic no.
heroic when a scream startled him. L
was scream of a woman in peril
deadly peril He looked up to see Net
tie White In the old pasture with tn
bull. She had her arms outstretchet
toward him imploringly, and as h'
mounted the fence she cried out:
'.Oh, Henry, that bull viii gore No,
to death! If you love me-
; Cant you see.'' replied Henry as Ia
: settled himself on the top rail. tina
J | the bull is lying down and chawin
his cud under that tree yonder? If d
wasn't he wouldn't hurt a fly. One 0
D the gals at the house was ridin' on hi
back this very mornin'. What yol
dom in that field anyhow?
Miss Nettie was chagrined and In
aignant that she turned and wake
across the field with her head held yer
| high and her lips compressed. If Their
| had been forty more bulls she wouldn
: have even looked back over her shoe
der.
There was a second attempt to arous
!, the heroism of the lover. He had ash
ed if she did not want to go fishing j
the river, half a mile away. She woul
be happy to go. 1t would be helpin
J her to carry out her second scheme
After they had reached the river an
fshed side by side for. half an hour sh
arose and wandered away for fe'
yards and began fresh attack on tn
fnny tribe in water about two fee
deep.
Suddenly, as Henry was thinking {
pumpkins and squashes, there was
scream and splash, and he cafml
= and slowly looked up. The girl wa
II in the water. She held out her hand
l to him in an appealing way He kne'
II the depth of the water at that potI
III and said, II don't see how you manai
ed to fail In, but catch hold of tbs
bush there and pun yourself out"
III And when the bedra ggled and dejec
1 ed girl reached home she vowed a so
emn vow to herself that never, nevs