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How He Won Her

How He Won Her image
Parent Issue
Day
19
Month
March
Year
1880
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

"You can never do it, Charley ; it'a impossible." "I will do it, though." rW "Well, success to you I and if there is any way in whieh I can assist you I shall be happy to be your servant. But what is your plan of' operation - can't you disclose ?" These were the concluding remarks. The conversation had lasted nearly an hour, between Charley Giles and nis best chum, Mark Tapley. The particular in which Charley was so confident of' success was the act of' marrying Fannie Beattie, the only daughter of Squire Beattie, one of the great men of Lousdale. I say one of the great men, because the Squire had a for midable rival in greatness ia the person of Ebenezer Dunn, the village uierchaut. Dunn liad been the Postmaster of Lonsdale for the previous seven years. He had been elected to represont that quiet village in the General Oourt of the State at four consecutivo eleciions; and the worthy Lonsdalians would alinost as sopn have thought of seeing morning come without its accompanying light as to see the Board of Selectmen or the School Committee without Ebenezer Dunn. In vain had Richard Beattie, Esq., taljced to his would-be constituents of the injustice of giving one man all the offices, and advised theni to select some one who was able to represent them fitly ; they either could not or would not tuke his hints; so Dunn was re-elected, and thanked his custotners for tbeir trade and their votes at the same time ; and they, good, honest souls, remained content so long as taxes were not raised, there was no eenousdrought and their crops sold wpll. Dunn was a model of a Postmaster. The few months preceding each election hc was very polite and attentive ; prnfussod to sell ¦ ti.l;ises and rnuslins a trifle cheaper than tlieir market value ; often referrea to the long time he had served bis townsnien rad the pleasant associations connected with his experience as a public servant ; hinted at a treat, if elected, and always provided it. These were the reasons why Dunn al ' ways was elected and Beattie never was. Charley Grilen was fharp sighted - most poor ft'lluws in love with belles and heir ' eaaMKra. He knew that Squire Beattie ' aspired to office, but was very unfortunate in obiaining it. He alsoknewjust the rea sons why he never was elected, and that ' was aiore than the Squire knew hiuiself. Ofthia knowledge Charley nieant to avail himwlf of and elect the Squire to any office he should jirefer, and thus gain his con-ent ! t) the longcd-lbr marriage with his ! ter. To uil end he took Mark Tapley in to his confidence, and the twoconultei tojiether and arranged their plans. They ! cided, after ascertaining what position the Squire would prefer, to make him a favor ite with the whole people , to allow Dunn to be nominated, as usual, and to defame him at the very last moment. Then he would have no chance to defend himself ; ' the people would drop him and Uke up the most popular man, which would be the Squire. Their motto was: "All's fair in ( love and politics." The next raorning Charley called upon the Squire, by whom he was received very 3 coolly, but that made no difference to the ' young man. He walked in and took a seat without being asked, laid his hat upon the table, and commenced to talk politie-". Upo this subject the Squire soon waruied up, as he always did. At first the political lover talked around his subject, sort of sounded his companion ; spoke ofayoung men'smovenieDt; of the dissatisfaction feit with the present incumben t; of the chances to eleot him by a certain maneuver, ánd of the partios ready to take hold of the moveiiRiit, until the old man was thoroughly interested in his favorite hobby ; then he unfolded so much of his plan as suited his purpose. They talked together hours. It was a long time before the Squire would accede to all of the young man's propositions ; but it was finally decided that Beattie shoutd l'urnixh Mark and Charley $50, to expend as they saw fit during the eampaign ; that he should take a list of the wants of all the poorof the town who ruight cali upon him, andsend the applicant, with his or her list, to them ; that he was to remain away frono all caucusea and rallying meetings, and that in case he was elected to Buch positions as he chose he was to consent to the marriage of Charley with his daughter. But if he was not elected, Charley was to relinquish all claims to Pannie's hand, and they were to refund the $50 which he had advanced. The next move of the young men was to pay $25 of their funds at the counter of Ebenczer Dunn, for which he was to deliver goods to whomever they ordered. Then they visited Quibs, thecrippled basket-maker, Crazy 5lag - whom everybody said was crossed in love io early life- and some dozen others of the town's unfortunates, and told them all when they wanted any of the little delicacies of lile to cali on Squire Beattie. Then they induced the Squire to present a load of wood to the debating club, so that they could have a fire in the house without appropriating the wood belonging to the district. As a compensation the club chose the Squire an honorary niember of its great body. This raovement Beattie did not think much of, but the young men did ; it caused people to talk of him aud that was all they wanted. Applications were soon made for the Sijuire'fi etiarity, and he patiently hoard their tales of suffering, then sent them to Mark and Charley, who gave them orders on the store, and told them to cali again. In a few weeks they made their Becond investment of $25 at Dnnn's and continued to give orders to all poor callers. Meanwhile Dunn was re-nominated; Mark and Charley worked as hard ior him as anyone. Election was drawing near, and the young men had considerably overdrawn their account, but still sent orders, which the storekeeper dared not but honor for fear of losing votes. Beattie commenced to feel a little uneasy, and expressed his fear that i things were not going all right, to the young ' I " - - ¦ men ; but they assured liiin that they were working adniirably, but requested him to find fault with every charity caller for coming so often. So the Squire went home and grumbled to his poor visitors; it did not liarm, however, for the poor people aro aoeustoiued to be prumblcd at beciiuse they are not rich. When they told Mark and Oharley what tlie Squire liad said, they were told not to say anything about it around the store; and so, just as the young men cxpected, half the village knew all about it in a day ortwo. When it reached Beattie's ears, ho rushed to Charley's office demanding an explanation, but was again quieted, and went home promisingto growl still louder to the beggan. It was the morning before election day , Mark uii.i Charley had preparad a g.iodly pile of turkeys, to be presentad to poor ap plicants that day, and were in earnest conversation with Richard BaattieEsq., who seemed not a little irritateii _ " It's all folly, boys- all fülly. It won't give me a vote- not a single vote," he broke out finally. But. sir "interposed Charley. There's no buts about it," interrupted the Squire. " I have heen made a fooi of long enougb, and I will not do another tliincr." " Well, sir, picase reaicmber that you are to obey us or forfeit the $50 already advanced to up," said Mark. " Well, I'll try it ; itcan'tkill rae," said the Bquire, af'ter a mouient's hesitation. "That's right, sir. Be all ready when the mail comes in. We sliall send Crazy Mag if she comea ; if not, the best one we can find." The door had hardly closed upoo Sqaire Beattie before they were visited by i poor woman, to whoin they gave an order, with instructions to cali again a fier ho had been to the store and got hergoods. When the woman canic back Charley presented her with a turkoy ; and, while he engaged her in conversation about her fatnily, and asked her what the Squire said about her, Mark wrs turning out a portion of the contents of hor oil can and molasses jug. "The gentleman fimls a good deal of fault," said the woman, "andtellsiue how longa gallon of molasses will last hia l'amily, and thinks inineought toga Itirtlicr. lJoJ ktiows that, if I wagablê, I'd nevertrouble hiui agiiin." 'Pethapsit i.-n't hb fault," intiuiated Charley. "Are you cortain they give you good lueasuro at the si ore? " " I don't know - I never measured the goods, sir." " Well, measure and weigh everything that you have got to-day, and, if' they do not hold out, let me know when you come up again," said Charley, as his vi.sitor took her departure. All the forenoon the young men treated their visitors the same. Toward noon, ÖraeyMagoamein; she oomplained bitterly of the way the Squire talked to her, and jutuped at the pretended .-u.-picions of Giles and Tapley- promising, when she went homo, to measure everything she had bouht, aod if there was not quart for quart, to return iinmediately and let tliem know. Word was sent to JJeaUio t.o. sur nd do nn Lai.J irlien tlie ttiail arrived, for everything was all right ; and thoy continued to di-tribute thoir torkejl and tlioir advire to inos.-ure to all who called upon thena. About ó o'clock, and just before tlie mail-coach carne rattling up to the door of the Lqnsdale postoffice, Crazy Mag came bouuding into the office of (Jhark-y, with hardly breuth eaougb lolt in her body to ejaculate : " Excuso me, Mr. Giles, will yo? It wasn't the Squire at all; but Mr. Dunn's li"oii cheatins; me. lies givcn 1110 a pint vnd a huif' of ile for a quart, and only three pints of molasse.s wlion the order was f'or two quavts, sir. " " Well, Muir, yiu'd botter go ot'er and teil Mr. Dudo all about it," advised the youne ruan. " I will," s;ii 1 M.il'. as i-tio .started out. The coach had just drives up to the door; the store was fiiled with the villagcrs wiiting fur thoir papers and the new, and Mr. Dunn was biisy chan;inc tha mail When Man enterod, she loolecl around her fora moment, and tln-n said, v ry calmly : " Mr. Dunn, you're a oheat I" " What do you moan, Mag?" a.-ked Ebenezer. " I mean (bat you are a cheat. You ve been cheatinR me for lome tima, bwt I did not find it out until to-day, when I uieasured all the 1:0 'ds Ibooghl of you." " She'i wild again, poor thing !" remarked Duna to a bystander. " No, I'm not will again," said Mag. " I haven't seen anything wild to-day but your mcasure of tbree pints for two quarts. " " It mighthave been a mistake, Mag?" " Hut tlie quart of oil was only a pint and a half. " Your measure must be very largo, Mag!" " No, they're not, sir; but yours must bc smfillcr t fian your soui I" ¦'Well, Mag, you must keep still ; ['m busy now. " " No, I'll ntkeep still, sir." " Then you must go out of the store." " No, I'll not go out of the store, sir." " Then I .-hall put you out." " No, you will not put her out, Dunn ; at least, not while I aui ben," said Squire Beattie, who, with the other bystanders had gathered around Mag. "No man can lay violent har.ds on a woman wbere I am." " Squire Beattie, I don't want any troublc with you, but perhaps It would be as well f you would just uiind your own business," repeated Dunn. " It's my buainuss," said the Squire, very coolly. " I want my money to obtain its equivalent juít as much when it is spent íbr Magas thoogh it was spent for ine." " Your money ! Mag never had a oent's worth out of my store od your money." " You are mistaken, Mr. Dunn, as Sfs and nmny otlicrs can testif'y," remarked the Squire, very coolly. "Tuen you mean to say I lie, do you?" demanded the storekeeper, in a rage. " No, sir. I only mean to say that I furnished Gharles Giles and Marlt Tapleywith the money which they spent at your store for the benefit of the poor of the town. I had no reason to think that any one wuuld object to my keeping my charities to mysulf, and I am sure that I thought you were the last person in the world who would bc guilty of cheattng the rccipients of thischarity." The Squire spokc these wordn quite oalmly, and loud enough lor cvery one in the store to hear. " Wull, my old woman said that gallon of vinegar I got this morning wouldn't hold out more'n three quarts and a pint," said Quibs, the basket-uiaker. A man was about rolling down hill, and the cripple could not resist the teuiptation to givo him a kick. Don't wonder, reader ; it's human nature. The store was Roon nearly deserted, and its proprietor wits grouty and glum. Meanwliile, stories were rite all up and down the villoge streot tliat Sciuire Boattie had been supporting luilt of tho village poor any number of years, and had kejit them ofl of the town, and that Kbenizer Duim had been eheating everybody in weight and measure the same length of' time if not longer. That evcning thore were a largor nnuiber gathered arouud the village bar-room tire than usual, and fewer louoging obout the store. This largor crowd were, of course talking about Dunn ; and it was strange liow many tuis same Dunn had cheated and how long overybody suspected hiin. " We mu.stn't eleot hiui to the Genera Court to-morrow," said one of the coiupany. " Who shall we elect ?" inquired Mark Tap ley. " Elect the Squire, to be sure," responded the landlord ; "I shall vote for hini." "So shall I- so shall I," chimed in a dozen voices. And hours were spent in inagnifying and praising the Squiie's virtues and repcating the storekeeper's faults. The next morning Lonsdale was alive with excitetnent. On every hand you migb.thave heard the praises of Squire Beatua and the slanders on poor I hum. Thai d;iy the Squire might have had every office, from roere of the village to Preaidenl of tho' Uuited States, if he h.id watitcd them, and they had beon in the gift of hi.n townsmOB. As it was, he was satisfied with being made Chairman of the Board of Seleotmen and inember of the General Court. Time passed away. Squire Beattie gave his consent to the unión oí his daag h ter with Charley Giles. The excitement all died away, and with it the talk of an oppo sition store. Dunn, disgusted with politics, resigned the postoffice, and Mark Tapley was appointed as his succeswr. Squire Beattie now dispenses liberally and openly to the poor. Last election he was chosen to the " higher branch," and Charley Giles now represeuts Lonsdal in the House.