Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 59, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 December 1908 — Broadening Jethro. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Broadening Jethro.

By CARL WILLIAMS.

Copyrighted, 1908, by Associated Literary Press.

The town could boast no “Seeing Concordia Car,” but had one of the übiquitous omnibuses carried visitors through the pleasant, shaded streets it is certain that Jethro Hawkins would have been pointed out as one of the objects of local interest along with the bank, and pulp mill and the house where Washington had slept when passing through the town. In the absence of sightseers Hawkins.was an object of unfeigned interest to his fellow townspeople, more especially the women, for a confirmed bachelor is ever the cynosure of matchmakers.

Other cavaliers came and wooed and won or were dismissed to woo again, but Jethro’s infatuation for Andadra Wayland could be counted upon as a topic of conversation year In and year out When Jethro had been a great, gawky lad of nineteen and Andadra a sentimental slip of seventeen-year-old femininity he had kissed her and had asked her to wait for him. Afterward be never could tell how he had achieved either the kiss or the question. Jethro was now thirty and Andadra twenty-eight and they were still waiting, because Jethro was thrown into a panic at the very sight of a woman. Andadra was patient and said' “No” to half a score of suitors, but still Jethro did not speak, so the whole town, knowing the situation; came to take an interest in the affair. That Jethro was in love was above question. Love shone in his eager blue eyes. Despairing adoration was be-

trayed in every line of the dejected figure. s If tongue could have si»oken his love as eloquently as his eyes Concordia’s matchmakers would have ceased to worry. Then suddenly Jethro went away. Connected with ids departure was no Incident, but bls return was eventful. To be sure, be planned to spend a week end with his grandmother, but to Coneordians a journey of 200 miles | was something more than an event, and practically the whole town saw Jethro'off. : It gave him a rather good opinion of himself, and he bore himself with dignity on the journey. He assumed the airs of a traveler of long experience, and when the time came for his return U he approached the railroad station with none of the embarrassment he had felt when he went to take the train at Concordia. I. He even lingered on the platform until the last moment instead of cllmb- | Ing aboard the train the moment it L. pulled into the station. With a blase air he let one or two cars slip past him, and he swung himself aboard by the rail of the rear platform. He threw open the door and passed through the corridor of the sleeper. & In the wash room half a dozen men ■were playing cards with a suit case for a table. Most of them were coat- > less, and their collars and ties bad g been removed.ln the_heat of the game.

Jethro hurried on. He did not want a seat in the sleeper; it coet more money. He knew that the day coaches were juat*ahead and vaguely wondered why one sleeper should be in the rear when all the others were up front ahead of the ordinary coaches. When he issued from the corridor he stood rooted t< the floor in amazement. Instead of the decorous, well groom ed city travelers he had expected t< find, some twenty flashily dressed women were scattered through the car. As he appeared one tiny little woman with hair obviously bleached set up a cry of “Look who's here!” and the other nineteen obeyed the command. Now. even a city man may well quail before twenty actresses. What chance had Jethro against their raillery? He was good looking, with an athletic figure, but his clothes and his manner liespoke the man of the small town. His confusion was immensely diverting to the women members of the burlesque company, who were only too appreciative of a break In the monotony of travel. In a moment they had flocked about him and were plying him with ques"no Stammeringly he explained that he was merely making his way toward the forward part of the train. They would not accept the explana- ' tion. “Now, honest, Reuben, you came to visit us!" cried the little soubrette. “You’re a sly old l>oy, and you can’t get out of it that way. Sit down and tell us your name and all about yourself Your name is Reuben, isn't It?” “It’s Jethro,” he explained, vaguely conscious that “Reuben” held some hidden meaning not altogether free from sarcasm. “It's Jethro Hawkins, and I didn’t come to see you. I got on the tall end of the train, and 1 want to go to one of the regular cars. 1 don’t know what this car is, but I guess it’s a lunatic asylum.” A roar of laughter greeted the comment, and the soubrette patted the bronzed cheek appreciatively. “You’re all right, Jethro,” she cried laughingly. “This isn’t the foolish foundry on wheels, though it will be if we have to have many more of these long Jumps. This is the Gotham Gaiety Girls company, and we’re awfully pleased to meet yoti. This car won’t be cut off for three hours yet, and we can have a nice long visit.” “I don’t want no visit,” declared Jethro, but his wishes counted for naught. The company was train tired and welcomed the diversion of his unexpected call. They enjoyed Jethro’s embarrassment, which amounted almost to terror, and when he sought to push his way forward they clung to his neck, and he was forced to sit down, If only to escape the white arms that detained him. Almost before he realized it he was chatting with the crowd as though he had known them for years. The men had come into the car from the card game and taken a part in the fun, and when at last they began to get ready for their journey’s end he really regretted their going. When their special car was cut off he waved them a farewell from the rear of the last day coach and then went forward to the smoker for the remainder of the trip.

It was late in the afternoon when the train halted at Concordia and Jethro descended the steps. Andadra was not on the station platform, but as Jethro was driven home in the village bus he passed the girl on her way to the postoffice. “Leave my grip with the folks, Jim,” he cried as he dropped from the step of the vehicle and, to the astonishment of the onlookers, raced after Andadra. But none of them was more astonished than the girl, for Jethro came up with a jauntiness that in him was astonishing. “I wanted to tell you that I’m coming over tonight to see you,” he explained. “I’ve something 1 waut to tell you,” he added importantly. “Anything you can’t tell me now?" asked the girl wonderingly. “Oh, I don’t know,” was the assured response. “I just want to nsk yon to marry me, and I meant to do it right In your own sitting room. But I guess there’s no t|*ne like the present. Will you have me?” “I thought you were never going to speak,” said Andadra, beaming her delight. “I thought you didn’t care for me any more, Jeth.” “Been caring ’bout eleven years,” told Jethro, “but I always seemed afraid to speak. I guess travel must broaden a fellow.”

Andadra nodded her happy assent, but Jethro wisely forbore to tell her that the guying and the frank friendliness of the Gotham Gaiety Girls had cured his fear of her sex. He felt somehow that Andadra would not understand. ■ ,

"I THOUGHT YOU DIDN’T CARE FOR ME ANY MORE, JETH.”