Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1917-12-05
A Story Of
The Iowpath
By OSCAR COX

It was more than half century ago
that stories of the towpath were cur
rent. That was when the canalboat
was the chief means of transportation
in America. At one time they were
used as passenger boats. Then, under
competition with the railroads, they
sank into freighting only, and now they
have almost entirely passed away.
In those freighting days a man named
Shock drove a mule on the towpath
which pulled a boat. Shock was as
homely as his name. He had never
had sweetheart, and there was little
hope of his ever having one, for when
ever q woman looked at him she was
appalled,.
There was, some three or four hun
bred yards from the canal, at about
the center of Shocks route, tumble
down house IN a small lot, in one cor
ner of which was pigsty. One day
when Shock was trudging along be-
hind his mule he saw at an open win
dow in the dilapidated trap female
figure. She was too far off for him to
see what she looked like, but she wav-
ed something white, which Enoch took
to be tableclOth. Whether she was
trying to f1irt with him or was shaking
the crumbs out of the cloth, he could
not be sure. Taking bandanna from
his pocket, he returned the wave.
Now, Enoch was cognizant of the
fact that be was not beautiful. His
hair was fiery red, his nose was a
pug the color Of his hair, his teeth
were mostly gone. Had it not been
for this he might have made bold on
his return trip to give his mule rest
and gone to the house a-wooing. As it
was, and since this was the only
chance he had ever met, he was wary.
He thought it better to make some
Roadway in lovemaking before risking
showing the lady his homely person at
close proximity. So, instead of stop
ping when he passed again, having
provided himself with a boys blow
gun, he fred a wad of paper at her,
which being unrolled revealed the fol-
lowing note:
seen you at yure winder yistaday and l
wood like very much to max yure &C.
quaintenc.
r The lady was watching for the boat
on its return trip, and when Enoch
fired his note at her she saw it fall
near her house and, going out, picked
it up and read it. But by this time
Enoch had gone on his way.
When Enoch passed the house again
he saw large letters chalked against
the house, which, though it had been
originally white, not having been paint
ed in twenty years, was now dull
brown. The letters were plainly. visi-
BILE from the canal, and Enoch read:
can't see what you look like from
yere. but you may be a decent lookin' fel-
lor and If you air you kin come and see
me.
This reply was rather setback to
one who knew full well that he was
homely as a hedgehog. The communi-
cation was brief, and it contained ex-
actly what En0ch would have preferred
that it should not contain. The lady
evidently was looking for handsome
man. The message convinced him that
he was right in not permitting her to
see him close by before he had stirred
up some sentiment which might lead
her to overlook In measure his home
illness.
Enoch's next love letter was written
In lampback on several boards nailed
together and set up on the deck of his
canalboat facing the house of his in
amorata. It read:
If you air purity woman wood be hap
py to stop over. Hain't got no use fer
ugly Wimmen.
When Enoch passed the house the
next time the blinds were all closed
and no living thing was to be seen ex-
cept few chickens scratching the dirt
in the yard. Enoch was disappointed
1t was plain to him that this was in
tended for a snub. On his next trip
he wrote on his boards, whats upT'
to- which was chalked the reply,
"Nothin'."
Enoch reasoned that his sladylove
had been miffed at his previous COM
munication, thinking that he had ac-
cused her Of being homely; but, hav-
ing thought the matter over, she had
seen his note in another light. He
began to think that faint heart ne'er
won fair lady" and he might as well
face the music one time as another
So he wiped the lampblack of hil
boards and wrote again:
lie stop over mex trip.
When he passed again he was ar.
rayed in a store suit that had cost him
81. His hair had been creased with a
slice of fat, and his boots had been
BACKED. Stopping his mule-and the
boat when it had lost its momentum
he proceeded to the house Of his lady
love. She had been watching him
from a window and opened the door
for him.
Laws marsy!' was her exclama-
ton.
by gumv' was Enoch's.
The woman had lost most of the hair
on her head, which seemed to have
gone to her face. Her nose had de-
vel0ped abnormally under the effect of
some skin disease. She was slabsided
and angular.
She slammed the door in Enoch's
face, who turned and, with a melan-
choly step, went back to his boat and
started on in his interminable jour-
neys back and forth. The woman
heard nothing from him for several
months, nor did he hear from her.
Then they fell into a new correspond
ence which led them on and on till
they forgot each others LONELINESS
and were married.