“About this time there drifted in from out west near Fort McKavett, a young fellow named Curly Thorn.  He had relatives living in that neighborhood.  Out at the fort he was a common foreman on a ranch.  Talk about your graceful riders, he sat a horse in a manner that left nothing to be desired.  Well, Curly made himself very agreeable with all the girls on the range, but played no special favorites.  He stayed in the country, visiting among cousins, until camp meeting began over at the Alabama Camp Ground.  During this meeting Curly proved himself quite a gallant by carrying first one young lady and the next evening some other to camp meeting.  During these two weeks of the meeting, some one introduced him to Miss Sallie.  Now, remember, he didn’t play her for a favorite no more than any other.  That’s what miffed her.  She thought he ought to.

“One Sunday afternoon she intimated to him, like a girl sometimes will, that she was going home, and was sorry that she had no companion for the ride.  This was sufficient for the gallant Curly to offer himself to her as an escort.  She simply thought she was stealing a beau from some other girl, and he never dreamt he was dallying with Neches River royalty.  But the only inequality in that couple as they rode away from the ground was an erroneous idea in her and her folks’ minds.  And that difference was in the fact that her old dad had more land than he could pay taxes on.  Well, Curly not only saw her home, but stayed for tea—­that’s the name the girls have for supper over on the Neches—­and that night carried her back to the evening service.  From that day till the close of the session he was devotedly hers.  A month afterward when he left, it was the talk of the country that they were to be married during the coming holidays.

“But then there were the young doctor and the storekeeper still in the game.  Curly was off the scene temporarily, but the other two were riding their best horses to a shadow.  Miss Sallie’s folks were pulling like bay steers for the merchant, who had some money, while the young doctor had nothing but empty pill bags and a saddle horse or two.  The doctor was the better looking, and, before meeting Curly Thorn, Miss Sallie had favored him.  Knowing ones said they were engaged.  But near the close of the race there was sufficient home influence used for the storekeeper to take the lead and hold it until the show down came.  Her folks announced the wedding, and the merchant received the best wishes of his friends, while the young doctor took a trip for his health.  Well, it developed afterwards that she was engaged to both the storekeeper and the doctor at the same time.  But that’s nothing.  My experience tells me that a girl don’t need broad shoulders to carry three or four engagements at the same time.