Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1917-03-29
A Revival
Of Romance
By SADIE oLcoTT

tired of the winter social gayeties.
pinned for something different. In the
first place, she had had half dozen
proposals, not one of them having in it
anything like real love. They came
from men who wished to marry from
some interested motive. One wanted
her because she would bring her hus-
band some means, another because she
would give him a better social position
and still others because they wished to
marry and she was considered one OF
the prizes Of the season.
Miss Warren's father owned, among
other things, ranch in the far west,
which had fallen to him through a
foreclosed mortgage. One morning dur
ing the early spring Josephine heard
him say that his ranch, which he called
his western elephant, would ruin him
If he did not go out and look after it.
DO go, papa she said "and take
me with YOU"
His having his daughters company
decided him, and within a few weeks
father and daughter were in west
ern ranch house and Miss Warren In
stead of receiving the attentions of
young men in silk hats and spats was
surrounded by cowboys with sombrerOs
and spurs.
One night Josephine was awakened
by a serenade under her window. A
man, accompanied by guitar, was
singing with voice smooth as a run
ming brook. Moreover, his whole heart
seemed to come out with his voice, and
his song was one of passionate love.
Josephine could not help comparing it
with the lovemaking she had listened
to from the gilded men of the eastern
social world.
Rising from her bed, she went to the
window. The moon was at the full
and shone directly upon the face of the
serenader. He was in cowboy apparel
except for the hat. which lay on the
ground beside him. Whether 1t was
the moonlight or that his face was
really more refined than the average
cowboy or the effect of the music he
certainly appeared to Josephine as q
superior being.
He sang but one song. which seemed
altogether too short to the listener,
then Went away, leaving Josephine in
a sort of ecstasy she had never felt be-
fore. oh, that she might be wooed in
such fashion by one Of her own sta
ton!
The next morning she asked those in
the house who was the serenader
They had heard the serenade, but no
one knew any cowboy who could sing
anything except ragtime music, and
there was no musical instrument
among them except banjo. Josephine
was disappointed. And yet what ben.
eft would she derive from knowing
which OF the many herders had poured
forth an impassioned love song? She
was not for such as these; she would
return to the east and settle down to
the artificial life of woman of society
with some man who spent a part of the
day in trade, the rest at his club and
his evenings escorting her to social
: functions.
Josephine hoped that the serenader
would favor her again. Every night
she lay awake till sleep conquered her,
hoping to hear those delicious notes
once more. When she rode out, which
she did great deal on horseback, she
scanned the face of every man she met.
| looking for that of the serenader. But
J. no one appeared with the same fea-
lures, and Josephine at last concluded
that the moonlight had given the one
she had seen it's heaven born express
sion.
When her father announced to her
, that he had done what was to be done
in respect to his investment, which was
to sell the ranch to- neighboring
ranchman, her heart fell at the idea OF
| leaving. The last night she spent at
the ranch was one of regret. She was
going to sleep thinking of her sere-
nader when again that melodious voice
came up from under the window.
:, The next day the father and daugh-
! ter rode twenty miles to the train, and
) soon after boarding it Mr. Warren
brought a man to his daughter and in
! troduced him as the purchaser of his
ranch. He was about thirty years Of
age and evidently gentleman. 1t soon
appeared that he was one of those
: young men who having inherited
means. prefer free life to one Of con-
l hnement and go in for ranching He
was going east to raise funds to pay
! for the property he had bought from
Mr.. Warren.
The ranchman Travelled all the way to
the Atlantic coast with the Warrens
and upon arrival became, for the time
he remained in the east, frequent
visitor at their home When he had
: converted some securities he owned
r into money he paid for the ranch he
had bought, received deed for it and,
the transaction being closed, asked Mr..
= Warren for his daughters hand. He
u was referred to Josephine, was accept
t ed, and she informed her father that
her tiance would remain in the east till
the wedding, which was fixed for an