The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1916-07-27
WHEN AMANDA
SAID Eyes"
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

To give you a straight tip at the
very beginning Of te!s story, Amanda
Jones was t%hirty-four years old. That
put her in the class of old maids by
quite II number of years, perhaps. But
why was she an old maid? That's
what you nrc going to be told.
Jed Strong was an old bachelor. He
was thirty-siN years old, and a man
can't live single that long without be-
ing called an old bachelor. And why
was he called an old bachelor? because
! three times in six or seven years he
had asked Amanda Jones for her heart
and hand and three times had she re-
fused him.
Jed was a good young man. He
had no vices. He was Woodworking
and respected. Amanda had made
il great mistake every time she re-
| fused him, and she had refused him
because of Il silly notion she had got
into her head. In fact, it was a no
tion put there by a fortune teller. This
female fraud had come along one day
" I "SS tpott N-INC
years old, and before she had had her
first offer and told her that Il maiden
must not accept the first offer made
her. If she did. she would not live a
year with her husband. AS to the sec
ond offer. she must he coy and SHY. AS
to the third, fourth and fifth, and so
on, she must command that she he
given time to think them over and
write TO her people for their advice in
the matter. Strong came back. In
spite of himself, his love for Amanda
Jones had continued to live. lie met
with plenty of nice girls and lonely
widows. but he came back heart free.
more. but he wasn't going to hurry
things.
The passing years had been painfully
slow with Amanda Jones. No one else
had como to make Il matrimonial offer.
She had wished a hundred times over
that she had accepted Jed's and that
the old fortune teller had broken Il leg
before she reached the house, but re-
penting would do no good. She had
come to be an old, old maid, and there
was scarcely hope for her in the fu-
ture.
One afternoon Amanda went for q
long walk. She had heard that Jed
Strong was back in the village, but she
did not walk out in hopes to meet him.
He had probably got married in the
west. At least he had got over caring
for her. She walked up the river for u
mile or so and then took Il seat Oh the
bank. Before leaving her house the
idea of taking Il bath in the river had
come to her. She might and she might
not, but she took along with her a
bathing suit that she might be pre-
pared if she felt like it.
At the same hour the same afternoon
Jed Strong took a walk up the river.
He did not expect to meet Amanda
Jones, but he would find a shady spot
and sit down and mediate and throw
clubs in the water and wish that every
club would hit the old gypsy woman
fair OH the head. He might make Il
fourth offer to Amanda. but lie doubt
ed it. lie would sit and think it over.
He found the shady spot and sat
down.
Amanda had preceded him by about
twenty minutes. She had decided to
take Il bath. She looked up and down
the highway and across to the corn
fields OH the other side of the stream,
! but no II was in sight. In entering
the water she got tangled UP in some
brushwood that was lying in wait OH
the bottom, and she fell down, and the
suit was badly ripped. She waded
out farther, however, aud was in the
water up to her chin when Il most aw-
full thing took place. Jed Strong came
walking along the bank, and. by the
great horn spoon, if lie didn't sit down
almost above her and begin to mediate.
There vas only one thing the bather
could do, and that was to keep quiet
until he departed. He might remain
there half an hour or until shutdown,
but she must wait, and wait she did.
Perhaps twenty minutes had passed
away when Jed caught sight of her
head and face and instantly recognized
her and understood the situation. He
was not more than Il minute forming
Il scheme. and, springing to his feet.
he picked DIP Il good sized stone and
exclaimed loud enough for Amanda to
hear:
"By George, but that must be an al
ligator!.! l will knock his blooming head
off at the first blow"
He drew back his arm for IL throw,
but a voice arrested it. 1t was the well
known voice Of Amanda Jones. and It
walled out:
ooh, Jed Strong, don't kill me-
"Tt'S Won. ia m" he 0Skod