The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-11-09
A CURE FOR
SULKS
Bv M, QUAD
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

III NC"SPthpct AIiCdScs
1t is an old saying among country
folk. and perhaps in the cities, too,
that the mother who has seven ehil.
dren has one sulky one among the lot.
This certainly was the case with Mrs.
John Whitaker.
Miss Sally Whitaker showed signs
Of the sulks when only a year old.
Up to the age of nineteen Miss Sally.
had an attack of the sulks about once
in two weeks on the average.
The girl was good looking and intel.
Iigent, and she would have had many
admirers but for this singular trait of
hers. Some times when young man
called to get better acquainted she was
as good as pie. At other times he
found himself alone in the parlor while
the "sulker" went to bed or took
walk by herself.
Then came Abraham Doe. In deliv.
ering some potatoes at her fathers
house he saw Miss Sally and lost his
heart to her at once.
Abe was good fellow and always
carried laugh with him. In joking
way, as he emptied the last bag Of
potatoes. he said something to Miss
Sally about coming accounting, and al.
though it was one Of her good days.
she went off into fit of sulks and
disappeared.
"W-what ails the gal?' he asked OF
the mother, in great surprise.
"Oh, you mustn't mind her-she's
bit Eighty at times" was the reply.
"But I'm coming a-courtin' jest the
same"
In the next three months Abe came
accounting twice week, and during
that time he met with five or six cases
Of the "sulks."
He took them all good naturally.
however, and not once did he ''6y up
and VOW that he would never step foot
in that house again.
But one day he asked her mother II
her daughter had always been given to
sulking and received this reply:
Eyes, pcuting or sulking. 1t Is I'M
fortunate. DR.. Baker said she would
outgrow it and she has. to some extent.
There was travelling doctor around
here the other day, and told him
about her. He said it was something
that could be cured right away. A sud-
den fright would do it,
"Shoo! Who's goin' to frighten her?'
And thereupon Mrs. Whitaker and
the farmer originated little conspir-
acy of two, and when they were
through talking they both smiled and
said it would work. 1t was con-
spiracy against Sally and her sulks.
In about week eft" was due, and
they would be ready to carry cut the
details of their plot.
About quarter Of mile from the
Whitaker house was an old cider
mill, long since given up to the rats,
bats and owls. Outlines when Sally
had her sulks she carried them to this
old building and took seat and had
it out with herself. She had been
known to go there Of an evening. when
other girls would have been frightened
by the loneliness Of the place.
One evening Abe got the wink from
luV luOIuCl Us uS LOOA q OCUk Az SAO
parlor. 1t was wink that told him
the sulks were not far away. He
winked back and grinned. What he
said to Sally half an hour later brought
on the climax. She jumped out Of her
chair and ran outdoor bareheaded.
1t was half an hour after twilight. but
he did not follow her-not as Abe. the
lover. There was some hustling done
about the house, and when the young
man stepped forth and took his way
to the old cider mill the reader would
not have recognized him by his attire.
Miss Sally Whitaker had been cross
ed, Inundated. reproved, and Abe Doe
had done it. She sat in the darkness
of the old mill and gritted her teeth
and vowed that she would never, never
speak to him again.
Squeak, squeak, squeak! went the
rats. and Sally shivered.
COCOON. o-o-o-o-h, o-o-0-o-h! boot
ed the owl among the rafters. and Miss
Sally did more than shiver-she utter
ed little scream of fright.
She held her ground, however. as she
had not finished her sulks yet.
But did Sally Whitaker escape thus
easily? Not much! There was still
something coming to her, It was a
ghost-a great. big ghost. that looked
to be ten feet high.
Abe Doe had been told by the high
est authority that couple Of peach
pits would disguise the human voice
beyond recognition. The ghost In the
old cider mill had the pits in his mouth.
''Pout. wifi We? Sulk, will YET" growl-
ed Abe as be seized her by the arm
and shook her back and forth.
ooh. Observation-Disclosures" gasped
the girl.
L "Will ye ever sulk again r demanded
Abe as he danced her around
No, no. nor
IF We do-beware! shall always
be on hand and ready to break your
Internal neck"'