Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1920-08-27

we had to seek employment and this
we found without difficulty. lIcndcr-
son accepting a position as chamber
maid at the livery stable while ]
secured situation in Il like capacity
in the hotel, my duties also including
cooking waiting on table and keeping
the fires. We settled without fric-
tion into our new positions and were
becoming as citificd as our ENRON
mcnts permitted when ii happened.
The currents of our lives were
| flowing along in serene and un.
cvcntful way and save for an occas-
ional fight with a cowboy who insist
cd on riding his horse into the hotel
or having his own dinner served in the
livery stable, there was never ripple
to disturb the calm serenity of our
lives and then the woman entered
When Il woman enters a mans life
something always happens. and this
woman caused the first coolncss that
had ever existed between my partner
and myself. She was the only mar
riagablc female in Dante, and except
that she had red hair and was frcck-
led, crosseycd and somewhat pigeon
tocd she was very fair 10 look upon,
and little defects like those are easily
overlooked when their posscsor is the
only unattached woman within a rad
ius of a hundred miles. Every single
man in Dante (and most of the men
in Dante were single men. or claimed
to be) was in love with her but she
bestowed her smiles impartially un-
til the advent of Henderson and my
self. thinl; that it was our store
clothes that caught her eye, but be
that as it may the race for the fair
ones hand was soon between Hen
derson and myself with all the others
hopclessly in the rear.
Henderson is good looking disgust
ingly good-looking, while l could not
win prize at beauty show if my
only competitors were hippopota-
mus and Gila monster-for that
reason and no other, | was sure, |
soon saw that Henderson was the
favored one. 1t was in vain that |
tried all the subtle arts that | had
been led to believe would win and
keep the tickle feminine heart, and at
last realized had lost, and that
the first sky-pilot who happened that
way would put an end forever to my
dream of love and happiness. But
resolved that I would be good loser,
and although she had broken my
heart, l would live a life of single
cusscdness. and be brother to her
always.
Henderson was radiantly happy,
and, although | could not share his
happiness | hoped. that for her sake,
he would be able to break away from
the inventing habit and live an hon
orable and upright life to the end of
the chapter. But as | feared, the
worst happcned--the disease broke |
out again and he invented a sort of
paste which was to take the place of
thread in all the arts where thread is
used. He waxed so enthusiastic that
ne sent some to "a clothing house in
Chicago and had an entire outfit made
up with it. even to underwear and
shirts. The day the goods arrived he
took a lay-off and donning his new
clothes he took the swellest rig in the
livery barn and invited Maybyl Ma
loney out for a ride. II forgot to
state in its proper place that the belle
of Dante's name was Mabyl Maloney
and that her father owned the gen
eral store and was also justice of the
peace. postmaster and coroner.)