Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1917-02-15

CHUNG ltbeu dppdieuIly WituOut huy
volition whatever on his part. His fate
was sealed; he had lost his heart and
his appetite to his neighbor. Having
come to this conclusion, 1t was won.
derful how the thought excited him.
He took bath and changed his
clothes, and then proceeded to town
and bought himself a white neck-tie,
! end scarf pin that cost seventy.five
cents. He was going to do the thing
in the proper way IL he did It at all.
After supper he mustered sufficient
courage to present himself at the side
porch where Mrs. Burke was knittina
on scarlet sweater for Mickey.
Good evenin', Hepsey.' he began.
"How are you feelin' tonight?"
"Oh, not SO frisky as I might, jon
athan; I'd be all right IL 1t weren't foI
my rheumatic
"Well, we all have our troubles,
Hepsey; and il 1t isn't one thing it's
most generally another. You mustn't
rebel against rheumatic. It's one OF
those things sent to make us better,
|
know"
Hepsey did not respond to this phil
osophy, and Jonathan felt that it was
nigh time that he got down to busi-
ness. So he began again:
ut seems to me as if we might have
rain before long II the wind don't
change"
Shouldn't be surprised, Jonathan.
| One-two-three-fo Mrs. Burke
replied, her attention divided between
her visitor and her sweater. "Got your
hay all in?"
"Yes, most of it, 'Twon't be long
before the long fall evenin's will be
comm on, and l kinder dread 'em.
| They're awful lonesome, Hepsey'
"Purl two, knit two, an inch and a
nalf-" Mrs. Burke muttered to her.
self as she read the printed directions
which lay in her lap, and then she ad
0ed encouragingly:
$50 you get lonesome, do you, JON
athan, durin' the long evenin's when
1t gets dark early"
ooh, awful lonesome" Jonathan re-
sponded. Don't you ever get lone
some yourself, Hepsey?"
81 can't say as it kept me awake
nights. 'Tisn't bein' alone that makes
you lonesome. The most awful lone
someness in the world is bein' in a
crowd that's not your kind"
THAT'S SO Hepsey. But two isn't a
crowd. Don't you think you'd like to
get married, If you had right good
chance, now?"
Hepsey gave her visitor 4 quick,
sharp glance, and inquired:
"What would you consider right
good chance, Jonathan?"
ooh, suppose that some respectable
widower with tidy sum in the bank
should ask you to marry him: what
would you say, Hepsey?"
Cant say until Id seen the widow
er, to say nothin' of the bank book
one, two, three, four"
Jonathan felt that the crisis was
row approaching; so, moving his chair
a little nearer, he resumed excitedly:
you've seen him, Hepsey; you've
seen him lots of times, and he don't
1--we a thousand miles away neither. u
Him. Must be he lives in Martins
junction. Is he good lookin', iona,
than?'
"Oh, fair to middlin'. That is-ol
course-I we'll IL should think he
was; but tastes differ"
We'll. you know I'm right particu
lar, Jonathan. Is he real smart and
clever?'
81 don't know as-I ought to-to---
say, Hepsey; but | rather guess he
Knows enough to go in when it rains.
That's good as far as it goes. The
next time you see him, you tell him
to call around and let me look hin,
over. Maybe / could give him jot
on the farm, even il didn't want tc
marry him"
But he doesn't want any job or
the farm Hepsey. He just wants you
that's all"
t "lIow do you know he does? Did ht
ever tell you?"
"Hepsey Burke, don't you know VIII,
: I'm alludin' at? Haven't you ever sus
nected nothin'?
"Yes, I've suspected lots Of things
: Now there's Jack Dempsey. I've sus
1 "ected him watern' the milk for som,
time. Haven't you ever suspecte;
%nythin' yourself, Jonathan?'
We'll, | guess I'm suspectin' tina
you're tryin' TO make fool of me
all right"
s "Oh no! Fools come ready made
} md there's glut in the market jus
3 low; seven elght-nine ten; no u.s.
I maxim more until the supply's e1
Y hausted But what made you thini
| YOU wanted to marry? This is 80 pow
\. erful sudden"
e Now that the point was reached
I Jonathan got little nervous: 10
0 20 tell you the truth, Hepsey," he stui
}. tered. II was in doubt about 1t my
( self for some time; but bein' as ar