The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1917-03-23

approved. Blanks and ten prize slips
We're placed In hat and ten men were
selected. Every one Of the lucky ten
was ordered to black his boots, take
his trousers out of them, wear a coat
he had one and report at the tavern
that evenin' for introduction by Miss
Bowers.
THE next mornin' Mr.. Parkhurst
called for Higgins.
well, Higgins he said when the
old man appeared, how did it turn out
last nightY
"At the courtin'? Torable, sir.
toPable. Three men proposed to gals
as TUX 'em, four men was too Urinary
10 60 down with any of the gals, two
men wanted the same gal and was
killed In q shootin' match afterward.
One man got up on his ear with a gal
who wouldn't have him and said he
had a wife already in Frisco and didn't
want no more of 'em. This leaves
seven gals for the next DRAWN and
] three men less to be provided for
"Seven names were next drawn and
presented the same evenin'. This was
Higgins report of the second pair Off:
"Three paired of. One Teller was
drunk and wasn't let In to the courtin.
Three men wanted the same gal. They
had triangular fight, the survivor to
win; little Teller with red hair winner
Gal wouldn't have him. That leaves
four gals for prizes
I'm this way eleven Of the gals was
paired, leavin' one, the purtiest Of the
lot, to be disposed of. All the fellers
wanted her from the first, and most
Of the men that got killed was flghtin'
for her. But she wouldn't have none
of 'em. She's mighty particular, SEEM
she's had twenty men to pick from.
She's got snappin' black eyes, kind of
reddish hair and is purity and plump
as a robin.
"Now, If you want to work out
scheme for furnishin' wives you don't
want nary of the women to be a Jim
dandy. One purity woman with the
old Nick in her will spoil any practical
plan that was ever got up. This gal,
Becky Riggs, bein' the only unmarried
woman left in the camp-Miss Bowers
had gone back for another load-and
every man left wantin' her, set up a
conflagration. Every day there was a
fight about her, and some one was sure
to be killed. The wives begged her to
choose some one and stop the fightin'.
But she wouldn't. She'd make b'lieve
she was goin' to take one Of 'em and
then start in to encourage another
If anything was needed to keep up the
list Of casualties this filed the bill.
well, 1t got so bad at last so many
good men bein' killed, that Mr.. Park
hurst sent Miss Riggs word that he'd
be pleased to furnish her ticket back
where she came from. She sent word
to him that she'd ruther be an old
maid in Colorado than a bloomin' mar
r1ed woman in the east. Then Mr..
Parkhurst went to see her to reason
with her. She jist set there listenin'
to him with her head on one side and
her nose In the air and didn't answer
never a word.
Things KEEP goin' from bad to worse.
Some Of the men Miss Riggs had re-
fused TUX to drink, and most of 'em
wouldn't work. 1t was impossible to
git other hands, and the dirt taken out
was gittin' less and less every day. 1t
begun to seem that If Miss Riggs wasn't
married or didn't go away the mine
would have to shet down. The presi-
dent wrote to know what was up.
Mr.. Parkhurst wrote to send on car
load Of women. The president wrote
that Miss Bowers had come back and
wouldn't advise no more gals to go
to SIGH benighted place. This looked
purity black. Mr.. Parkhurst called for
old Ben Higgins and axed him what
was best to be done.
"'When / was livin' with my ole
woman, Mr.. Parkhurst,' Higgins said
knowingly, L found out that women
must have their way
"'What do you mean by thatr
"'Well, sir, there's nothin' fur pur-
ty gal here but to git married Every
man here has axed Miss Riggs but
one.'
81 thought they had all asked her.
"'No. sir; there's one left, and the
KNOWN ones among the wives say
that's the one she wants.
"'Who is he?
"T think it's you, SIR
"TY
eyes, sir-you.'
"'You must be mistaken.
IF l am the women amt
HE didn't say no more about It,
but noticed that he was sprucin' up.
He'd been wearin' flannel shirt, and
fust thing I knowed he had put on a
boiled one. Then he went to the bar
Der and got shave. After supper l
seen him lookin' at himself in a glass
that hung beside the roller towel at
the tavern. Next he headed for the |
cabin where Miss Riggs was stayin'.
THE young woman was perfectly |
aware that the manager understood
the situation. Furthermore, she had |
brought with her some becomin' cos
tunes and had put one Of them on for
bis reception. When Mr.. Parkhurst |
saw her to have her for a companion
didn't seem to him such a hardship, |
after all. It had been more than a
year since he had seen a refined wom-