The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-07-31
= An =
Unromantic Lover
By nj. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.
By NJ. QUAD

Henry SITong WIS laIHueh nhSu
man, strong and rugged and willing
to work from sun TO sun without a
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 a mile away. 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 a
good wife for him. Nettie 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 a little country sehoolhouse. 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 chevaliers. knights and heroes ga
lore. and she had wished many time
that Henry would come riding with
steed and lance and bear her off. Alas
for Henry His "steed' was the OLD
white mare which was blowing out the
corn, and his lance was a 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
poorwill sang from the grove back OF
the barn, Nettie looked for Henry to
say something-somethin about the
romance of the evening. But what
Henry said was:
81 wonder If 1t is true that the moon
is mostly composed of buttermilk|
At length Henry proposed marriage.
J Perhaps he was as romantic about II
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 its hind legs against the house and
carelessly said:
ooh. Nettie, almost forgot what
] was going to say to you this evening
|, guess we had better be married som'
! day. What do you think about itT'
! 1t is useless to tell what she though
about It, but after that evening the,
considered themselves engaged.
One day Henry's flancee get bril-
:, liant thought. Henry might not be 70
mantle. but he might be heroic, whicl
! is mostly but not quite the same thing
IL she could make hero Of him sh
J, = would at least be half satisfied. Sh
= thought the thought over for sewers
DAYS and was then ready to put pla
!, into execution.
" Not far from Nettie's house was tn
house Of a farmers daughter, who fr'
= quently exchanged visits with her. b
y cutting across an old pasture quartz
!. g Of a miles walk could be saved.
= that old pasture Henry's employer kel
a bull.
y Henry Strong was blowing out pot
toes one forenoon about II o'clock, al
- he was neither feeling romantic NJ
70 heroic when scream startled him.
no was a scream of a woman in peril
- deadly peril. He looked up to see Ne
ue tie White In the old pasture with Il
bull. She had her arms outstretch'
U toward him imploringly, and as
~ mounted the fence she cried out:
ne "oh, Henry, that bull will gore u
le to death! II you love me-
e "Can't you see," replied Henry as
~ settled himself on the top rail, 9Th
as the bull is lying down and chawi
= his cud under that tree yonder? II
-. wasn't he wouldn't hurt fly. One
the gals at the house was ridin' on b
- back this very mornin'. What y
"a dom in that field anyhow
= Miss Nettie was so chagrined and
T. dignant that she turned and walk
-, across the field with her head held We
,,s high and her lips compressed. II the
"a had been forty more bulls she wouldl
have even looked back over her sho
-. der.
There was a second attempt to arou
e the heroism of the lover. He had al
ed IL she did not want to go fishing
=, % the river, half mile away. She wor
be happy to go. 1t would be helpi
:. her TO carry out her second schen
- After they had reached the river a
fished side by side for half an hour
= arose and wandered away for a 4
-. yards and began a fresh attack on
finny tribe In water about two 4
=. deep.
Suddenly, as Henry was thinking
- pumpkins and squashes, there was
- scream and a splash, and he cain
- and slowly looked up. The girl v
- in the water. She held out her bar
81 -. to him In an appealing way. He KIN
~ the depth of the water at that 20
and said. 81 don't see how you man
s n ed to fall in. but catch hold Of Il
10 bush there and pull yourself out"
And when the bedraggled and dele
90 ed girl reached home she vowed a