The Era-leader., 1919-01-23
A Beauty
Match
By JAMES BRAlNARD
Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.

Copyright. 1917. Western Newspaper Union.
My chum, Tom Nicholson, at twenty
was as likely young feller as you
ever see. He had head of black
hair thick as a mop. His well-kept
white teeth under his black mustache
formed fine contrast, and he had d
clear complexion. Sallie Morgan was
as purity for gal as Tom was for 8
man. She too had beautiful head of
hair reachin' down when she stood ul
to within a foot of the floor.
| Well, they soon got engaged and
everybody said they'd make the hand.
soonest couple that had ever been mar.
| ried in Jonesbourgh. But them beauty
marriages with nothin' else to back
'em up are unsartin'. Tom had nothin'
with which to support a wife, and Sal
lie wasn't robust gal at all, so the
weddin' couldn't come off in hurry.
Tom was offered a position away out
West, and he and Sallie concluded
that he'd better accept 1t, and when
he found he was dozen we'll he could
come for her and take her back with
him.
l reckon there was q 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
of Sallie. Toms was just like him,
but Sallie's not showing her red lips
and a tinge 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
to her. He started in while the train
was rolling out of the station. BY
the time he reached the place he was
going to he had a letter Of thirty
pages written, and had mailed her
oostals at all important stations. Sal
lie began written as soon as her eyes
were dry enough after cryen, to see
the paper she was written on. The
first few days after Toms departure
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 Sallie knew.
Tom was unfortunate in everything
he undertook. He got sick a year
after he parted with Sallie, and 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 to him. Both
hoped that some day Tom would have
a stroke of luck and their dream Of
happiness would come true.
Well, l reckon it was about twenty.
five years after these models Of con.
stancy separated-neither smarried
anyone else-that one day an old
party bald as a coot, and what few
hairs was left on his head white as
snow, stepped me on the street, and
said:
Aren't you Norman Dale2"
That's my name," l answered, look
en- at him trying to remember him.
"Who may you be?"
"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 "a knowed you, If you hadn't
34en pointed out to me. Have I
hanged much?"
This made me mad and I remarked
sarcastically:
Not bit. You're the same hand.
some feller you was when you left
here twenty-five years ago."
Il want to know" he said, looking
me in the eye to find out whether or
no was flattering him.
"On the WHOLE" I 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 he asked about Sal.
lie Morgan. He had swallowed what I |
had said about his own appearance, so
l wondered If he would gulp down
what I'd say about Sallie. said that |
she was more mature, but 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
Sallie, and take her back West with
him as his wife.
We talked long while about old
TIMES and then / told Tom there was
to be lecture that evening; we was
all going, and he'd better 60 along.
He said he was gong to see his old /
sweetheart. / told him she would be
at the lecture, and he consented to 60
with me.
Tom came to my house for supper.