Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1918-01-26
A Beauty
Match
1cOpyriEht. isii. western Ns-.psp.r UnIo-
By JAMES BRANARD

D. was rs likely young Teller as yOt
a ever see. He had n head Of blacl
, hair thick as a mop. His well-kepl
= white teeth under his black mustach,
formed a fine contrast, and he had 4
clear complexion. Saliic Morgan was
Ms purity for a gal rs Tom was for q
man. She too had n beautiful head OF
a hair reachln' down when she stood up
n Go within a foot OF the floor.
hi Well, they soon got engaged and
r everybody said they'd make the hand
soonest couple that had ever been mar
ried In Jonesbourgb. But them beauty
marriages with nothln' else TO back
'em up are unsartin'. Tom had nothln'
with which to support a wife, and Sal
lie wasn't a robust gal at all, so the
weddin' couldn't come OF In a hurry.
Tom was offered a position away out
West, and he and Sallie concluded
that he'd better accept II. and when
he found he was dozen well he could
come for her and take her back with
him.
reckon there was sorrowful
parten, only they was bouyed up by
the hope that after a year or two
they'd git together again. Tom left
a photograph Of himself and took one
a Sallle. Toms was just like him.
but Sallie's not showing her red lips
and a tlnge of color In her cheeks
wasn't quite so pretty as the original.
Sallie set Toms picture up ON her
bureau and every time she cOmbed
her beautiful hair she divided her
glances between the hair and the
photograph.
Tom hadn't been away from Sallie
ten minutes before he began to write
10 her. He started In while the train
was rolling out OF the station. by I
the time he reached the place he was /
going TO he had letter of thirty !
pages written, and had mailed her
bostals at all important stations. Sal
lie begin written as soon as her eyes
were dry enough after cryen, 10 see
the paper she was written on. ThS
first few days after Toms departure 4
she only stopped written for meals.
Them letters Kept going from one
to the other FOR Years. Just when they
began TO grow less-just when they
stopped, only Tom and Sallis knew.
Tom was unfortunate In everything |
he undertook. He got sick a year
hitter he parted with Sallle, ana was
In the hospital six months. When he |
came out he had to begin all over |
again. He never wrote Sallie that !
they'd better give each other up; nor |
did Sallie write that 10 him. Both |
hoped that some day Tom would have !
a stroke of luck and their dream Of !
happiness would come true.
Well, | reckon IL was about twenty
five years after these models OF con-
stancy eparated-neither married
anyone else-that one day an old
party bald as a coot. and what few
hairs was left ON his head white as
snow, stopped me on the street, and
said:
Aren't you Norman DaleT
That's my name" | answered, look
en- at him trying to remember him.
"Who may you bel'
why. Norman he said reachen
for my hand, don't you know met
I'm your old chum Tom Nicholson"
you don't mean it?'
Lord, how you've changed.
wouldn't IA knowcd you. If you hadn't
been pointed out 10 me, Have l
changed muchT
This made me mad and l remarked
sarcRstically:
Not Bit You're the same hand
some Teller you was when you left ,
here twenty-five years ago"
II want TO know" he said, looking
me In the eye TO find out whether or
no l was flatterlns him.
ION the whole" | added, II think
you've Improved" :
This satisfied him and he went on
asking me about different persons he ,
had left In the town. most of whom
were dead. Finally ne asked about Sal
lie Morgan. He had swallowed what
had said about his own appearance, SO
| wondered II he would gulp down
what I'd say about Sallie. | said that
she was more mature, hut didn't think
she had lost any Of her beauty. He
told me that luck had come TO him at
last and he had come home TO find
Sallc, and take her back West with
him as his wife.
We talked long while about old
times and then l told Tom there was
TO bee "a lecture that evening; we was
all goingtand he'd better go along.
lie said he was going Ia see his old
sweetheart. i told him she would be
at the lecture, and he consented togo
with me.
Tom came To nay houss for supper
and a little later We all went TO the
lecture. Sallie Morgan sat three seats
In front OF us. Tom looked about for
Der and not seeing the girl he left
behind him asked me II she was In
the house. / pointed her out to him.
She had grown very fieshy. weighing
two hundred pounds and her hair
WIS half white; besides being very
min for she had lost most Of II after