Year: 1876

editor, in delicate and confidential way,


ot certain grave facts connected with the


newspaper business. "For instance he
'aid' "a paper should be prompt in its
appearance as the sunrise, for if it lags
people soon lose faith in its stability, and
cease to pay for it in advance; and the
halt sheet contrivance should never be
resorted to-" he continued, "lor the size
oil newspaper is a good deal like plenary
inspiration, and wont bear lriiiing with


IhlS bit OF philosophy being kindly receiv
ed he dropped his confidential tone and
manner, and went on, after the habit OF
your true printer the country over, 10 give
the results of his varied observations in
other Affairs including politics, education.
religion. aud, finally. mstrimony. at
Is every mans duty he declared, with
some warmth, "to get married-and every
womsn's, TOO he quickly added Then
he stopped, blushed little. and lifting
The slug that concealed the next word Of
the manuscript, on the case before him,
resumed his work. They smiled one to
smother In knowing way, the editor and
the Office boy, and urged him to proceed
with his discourse; but be only shook his
head, and answered q trife sadly: mot
now, not now" The next day and the
next he was unusually reticent. and they
noticed that he usually threw back as
much as half a line OF type from his
composing stick into the boxes as if he
hadunconsciously set up the wrong words
When he did not appear the following
morning. they knew he must have return
ed to his resting and bis rambling.


Il proof had been Immediately required
OF the lact that Perky had taken another
holiday, it would only have been neces
sary to call Aunt Naomi Sey bold as q
witness. for she had seen him sauuter
past her front window.-the window
where she always put the cracked porce-
lain teapot that held her rose geranium-
and he had stopped while at Widow
Hamline's gate on his way down the road
toward the woods. A halt at the widows
gate had Of late become a regular feature
of Perky's rambles. lie had been known
to tarry there on some occasions for fully
an hour; and more than once it had been
observed that be had gone op over to the
bluff, as was his usual custom. but turned
aud came back. To suppose that these
circumstances attracted no attention aud
provoked no comment would be TO fancy
Seward Center a community of winged
creatures with crowns and harps. which
it was not. The matter bad gradually
assumed sn interest 10 the public mind,
second only 10 that OF the pending strife
for the county seat. between the Center
and the rival town ol hOuoma. Hence
the religious patience with which Aunt
Naomi Seybold watched Perky's move
merts from behind her window curtains
hence, also, the significance which had
been attached 10 his remark in the Clarion
Office upon the subject OF mairimony.-
The Center really believed that Perky
was in love with the widow.


The Widow Hamline, it is proper 10
say, was not a widow at al. She was
divorced woman who had resumed her
maiden name, bu, still retained the title
of Mrs on account OF her son Benny,
4 glad-eYed little lad Of eight years
Her husband had abandoned her when
Benny was but two years old; she had
obtained a divorce three years later, and
the next summer she had come TO Kansas,
hoping in time 10 ge: farm Tor the boy.
This was substantially all they knew
about her. except that during her nearly
three years residence ut the Center, she
had been q well-behaved. Woodworking
woman. IL seemed strange that with her
bitter experience and her frigid and
metbodical ways, she should be thinking
OF marrisge; much stranger that Perky,
who was so lonely and so peculiar, should
be contemplating such thing. To be
sure. there was no absolute evidence that
her thoughts were running in that direc'
A. De- nv Irt nITRu N.
stautial testimony in such cases Perky
mad been seen going 10 and from her
house verv often she spoke of him always
when she spoke of him At al, with
noticeable kindness; her lace flushed
with evident pleasure whenever any body
prsised him little Tor his known good
qualities or made generous excuses for
his faults. And then had she not bought
q new drc SIS with gaudy pink stripe in
il. and did she not lately wear sn unusual
bow of bright ribbon at her throat, and
sometimes big red rose in her hair?-
Surely these signs. meaning so much
with other people. could not be mere
accidents or idle freaks with her. 50 The
verdict Of The Center soon came 10 be
unanimous that il the widow thought she
did not love Perky, she was very much
mistaken.


The Center having made up its mind,
there was no more doubt and no more
discussion. And yet, rs a matter OF fact,
Perky had never once been known 10 GO
into the widows house, nor had he and
the widow ever been seen so much as