?5 
 
 .H6W5 
 
 
BY THE AUTHOR OF "THE COLONEL'S 
 LITTLE GAME." 
 
 m 
 
 HE WINNING O'T 
 
 BY 
 
 ^'HUMPTY DUMPTY," 
 
 President of the Eastern Amateur Press Association) first 
 Vice-President of the National Amateur Press As— • 
 sociation, and Author of upwards of a Thous- 
 and Popular Tales and Sketches, 
 
 jut o vri^o : 
 
 'None but the brave deserve the fair.' 
 
 PKICE TEN CENTS. 
 
 MEMPHIS, TENN. 
 
 W. L. STTRIPIRISIElI, Publisher. 
 
 307 Kayburn Avenue. 
 
 1876- 
 
 <s$ 
 
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 
 1876, by 
 
 AV. L. SURPRISE, 
 
 in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Wash- 
 ington, D. C. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 In admiration of the pluck and en- 
 ergy displayed in the publication and 
 management of that splendid journal, 
 "the youthful enterprise," and in 
 acknowledgment of the pleasure the 
 reading of that brilliant serial, ' 'joe ; 
 or, stolen from home," afforded 
 me, to 
 
 MISS L. LIBBIE ADAMS, 
 
 "NETTIE SPARKLE," 
 
 These'pages are most cheerfully dedi- 
 cated. The Author. 
 
BY WAY 'OF PREFACE. 
 
 " The Wooing O't" is all very nice, 
 but like all good things, it gets monoto- 
 nous after a while, and the "wooers" 
 would like to know where The "Win- 
 ning O't" conies in. It don't come in 
 as often now-a-days as it used to ; but 
 my heroes and ;heroines are always in 
 dead earnest, and it never takes much 
 "Wooing O't" to come to the "Winning 
 O't." 
 
 I worked out the plot of the present 
 story about three years ago into a sketch 
 entitled "Lillie's Hero," which the 
 Buckeye Boy purchased, but never pub- 
 lished, having lost the MSS. After the 
 demise of that excellent journal, I ven- 
 tured to re-write it, and in the ambition 
 of my youth, presented it for examina- 
 tion to the Editor of Munro's Fireside 
 Companion, Mr. Howard. To my grat- 
 ification, it was duly accepted. I had 
 $2 00 marked on it as the price, and in 
 accordance therewith, I presented my 
 bill to that effect to Mr. Geo. Munro, a 
 
Preface. 
 
 disagreeable, weazen-faced man, with 
 an air of "pay, old fellow ; you can't 
 help yourself; the thing's accepted" 
 But instead of producing the amount 
 of the bill, I was gently (?) shown into 
 the street. 
 
 I was too discouraged after that to re- 
 write "Lillie's Hero," but I venture 
 upon my task to-day, with the excep- 
 tion of christening "the old, old story" 
 with a more "winning" title. 
 
 So much for the history ; and now 
 for the story; I hope it won't prove a 
 hiss-story. 
 
 Truly, 
 
 "HUMPTY DUMPTY." 
 
 Hoboken, N. J , July 2o, '76. 
 
THE 
 
 WINNING O'T! 
 
 BY "HUMPTY DUMPTY." 
 
 OU'VEall heard of old 
 Judge Abercrombie ; 
 he was a fine old gentleman, 
 of the rich old stock. You 
 know he used to live up 
 along the Hudson, on the 
 Highlands, on one of the most beau- 
 tiful spots on earth. Well, he lives 
 there still. The old, vine-elad man- 
 sion, with its blooming gardens and 
 meads and silent forests encircling 
 it, stands to-day as it stood there 
 fifty years ago. 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 But, of course, there had been lots 
 of improvements made on the old 
 homestead. Little Sadie Abercrom- 
 bie who, fifteen years ago, only need- 
 ed a space for the cradle in the old 
 folks' bedchamber, now had a dormi- 
 tory of her own, besides a boudoir 
 and a cosy sitting room to chat away 
 the weary afternoon with her friends 
 who happened to call. 
 
 At first, these friends were all 
 girls, mostly healthy, romping coun- 
 try girls, but, of late, a gentleman 
 would now and then make his ap- 
 pearance in the little sitting room — 
 in company with the other visitors, 
 of course, because old Mrs. Aber- 
 crombie didn't stand any nonsense, 
 you know — and pretty soon the old 
 folks had to make up their mind 
 that Sadie was wanted. 
 
 Sadie was eighteen years of age ; 
 a tall, queenly, graceful girl, with 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 great, lustrous, winning eyes and 
 all that sort of things ; but what 
 suited most of her admirers best, a 
 handsome annuity in her own name 
 from a traditional East India undo, 
 besides the best prospects in the 
 case of the death of the old Judge. 
 
 Sadie, being the only child, had of 
 course, been spoiled, and was there- 
 fore dreadfully self-willed. She 
 couldn't, for the life of her, choose 
 from among the number of butter- 
 flies that hovered about her. 
 
 There was Lord de Flukey, with 
 his " aw " in " chawming " and simi- 
 lar murders of the Anglo-Saxon, a 
 light haired, one- eye- glassed, mid- 
 dle-parted, three- silk- handkerchiev- 
 ed "admirer;" then there was the 
 Hon. Slotewell Barde, with his hair 
 combed Popocatapetl fashion, his 
 chin neither clean shaven nor beard- 
 ed, and two fingers of his one hand 
 
io The Winning O't. 
 
 ever argumentatorily resting in his 
 other hand; there were lots of otHers 
 but they weren't Sadie's kind, you 
 know. 
 
 If you dont know, I'll tell you 
 why. She'd been reading "Romeo 
 and Juliet," "The Lady of Lyons" 
 and other similar heart - rending 
 gloat-overs for fanciful young maid- 
 ens; furthermore, she had swallow- 
 ed Don Quixote fashion, all the old 
 tales of chivalry and romances in 
 existence. And she had made up 
 her mind that she must be won, 
 romance-fashion. Not by a mon- 
 ey-bagged English snob going to 
 her father with : 
 
 " Aw, I lowe your chawming 
 daughter; bow much?" 
 
 Or an old sinner like the Hon. 
 Barde with : 
 
 " Gentlemen — beg pardon, I mean 
 —my dear sir, I cannot refrain, ah, 
 
The Winning O't. ii 
 
 in short, it gives me — to be brief, I 
 love your daughter: how much does 
 she get?" 
 
 "How much?" indeed! No, my 
 dear sirs, Sadie wasn't to be bought; 
 Sadie wanted a heroic rescue from a 
 horrible fate, or some such thing as 
 that, and then, clasped in a fainting 
 fit in her rescuer's arm, he could 
 give her the lover's first kiss, and 
 the thing would be settled. 
 
 Now there was Bob Adams, the 
 banker's son, who lived across the 
 river for the summer. She had often 
 thought how nice it would be if Bob 
 could rescue her some day from 
 drowning. In fact, she went so far 
 one day as to offer to take him out 
 in her pretty little boat, and he read- 
 ily enough consented. And when 
 they had gone a ways from home, 
 she paddled nearer shore, and before 
 Bob, poor fellow, could realize what 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 had happened, he found himself 
 floundering in the water. Sadie 
 had tipped the boaU She then re- 
 signed herself into crying franti- 
 cally for help : 
 
 "Save me, or I drown," and so 
 forth. But unfortunately, the water 
 happened to be so shallow on that 
 spot that 3 7 ou could lay on bottom 
 without inconvenience to comforta- 
 ble breathing, and the adventure 
 ended in the disconsolate heroine 
 wading ingloriously ashore, leaving 
 her companion to recover the boat 
 and oars. 
 
 Bob Adams was sharp enough to 
 see through the little game, espe- 
 cially as he loved Sadie. For al- 
 though they say love is blind, give 
 me a lover to detect the tender pas- 
 sion in the object of his admiration. 
 
 And Bob Adams went home to 
 read all the tales of chivalry in his 
 
The Winning O't. 13 
 
 father's library for purposes which 
 will presently become apparent. 
 
 In the meanwhile Lord de Flukey 
 had obtained papa's consent to go 
 and woo the lovely Sadie, beating 
 the Hon. Barde's offer by $10,000.00. 
 But the Hon. Barde was not easily 
 discouraged and determined to wage 
 a bitter war with My lord for their 
 mutual idol. 
 
 On the following day, a most mag- 
 nificent one, Sadie and My lord 
 might have been seen wending their 
 way from the Abercrombie mansion 
 into the forest on the west, he all 
 attention and fervor, she refreshingly 
 cool and naughty. 
 
 "Aw, Sad — aw, beg pardon — Miss 
 Abercwombie, this is a weally fine 
 day." 
 
 "Oh, do you think so?" 
 "Indeed 1 do, considewing. " 
 
14 The Winning O't. 
 
 "My lord, do you like cheese." 
 
 " Good gwacious, what a question, 
 Miss Abercwombie, " exclaimed My 
 lord, "well, I weally don't know. 
 
 " Does your father like cheese. " 
 
 " Weally, now, I don't know. He 
 did have a weakness fow Chestaw I 
 admit." 
 
 "That was indeed a weakness — 
 but gracious, whom have we here?" 
 
 This latter remark was occasioned 
 by their suddenly coming upon a 
 form which " lay in slumbers on the 
 green " beneath the shade of a grand 
 old oak. 
 
 The form started up. 
 
 " TheHonowable Slotewell Bawde 
 I do declare. " 
 
 " The same, My lord. Miss Aber- 
 crombie ; I beg your pardon; I — " 
 
 "Pray dont apologize; so this is 
 the manner in which you pass your 
 
The Winning O't. 15 
 
 mornings, " Sadie interrupted him 
 with. 
 
 " This is an exception — but it was 
 so deucedly warm ; I started out on 
 a little walk, and as the poet has it, 
 'surrendering freely to the apathy.' " 
 
 "Pray don't tax yourself. Mr. 
 Barde; it is so, deucedly warm ' you 
 know. " 
 
 » And then the three walked on, 
 Sadie between them, the "Hon." on 
 one side, and My lord on the other. 
 
 If the reader imagines that this a 
 chance meeting, he is very much mis- 
 taken. Barde, the knowing rascal, 
 had followed them from the house all 
 the way, his senatorial breast heav- 
 ing with green- eyed-monstered emo- 
 tion ; and then he slipped ahead and 
 composed himself in a sleeping atti- 
 tude, right in their path. 
 
 But I must not give my Senator too 
 much credit, ever as a plotter. Be- 
 
T 6 The Winning O't, 
 
 fore this attempt at slumbering list- 
 lessly, he had most miserably failed 
 in asimilar attempt. A * on this occa- 
 sion, he laid himself in their path, 
 but Sadie noticing him, and guessing 
 his object, had turned aside, and 
 paid no attention whatever to his 
 frantic endeavors to attract their 
 attention by vigorously snoring and 
 hivffaing and similar expedients. 
 And he was forced to arouse him- 
 self and like the boy in the time-hon- 
 ored poetical injunction, "try again." 
 This time, Sadie had taken pity 
 on him, and noticed him, much to 
 his satisfaction. But this pity con- 
 sisted more in a morbid and cruel 
 desire to annoy My lord than in any 
 humane feeling. 
 
 "You are looking uncommonly 
 well this morning, Miss Abercrom- 
 bie," the Senator. 
 
 My lord frowned. She abstractedly 
 
The Winning O't. 17 
 
 "Are you speaking to me My 
 lord?" 
 
 " Aw, yes I was," My lord sweetly. 
 
 "No, I was," the Senator, indig- 
 nantly. 
 
 "Oh, were you ?" she, listlessly, 
 "do you mean to say that I don't 
 look well, as a general thing ?" This 
 more spiritedly. 
 
 "Why no, Miss; ah, I beg pardon; 
 upon my word now," and the poor 
 Senator was ready to fall upon his 
 knees and crave forgiveness. 
 
 "Aw, aw, got you there, Senator," 
 smiled My lord 
 
 But suddenly his smile changed 
 into an expression of extreme hor- 
 ror, while the Senator turned livid 
 and remained rooted to the spot. 
 Sadie, too, was transfixed. 
 
 From out of the bushes there 
 sprang half a dozen rough, uncouth, 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 villainous looking fellows, with black 
 masks drawn over their faces, and 
 armed to the teeth. 
 
 One of them pointed a seven- 
 shooter at My lord with the words 
 fiercely yelled out : 
 
 "Your money or your life ; come 
 now, trot out, or I'll give you a 
 task of some cold lead !" 
 
 My lord shook like an aspen leaf. 
 
 "G-ood gwacious, sir ; y-yes, wight 
 away ; but I say, don't point that 
 thing at me ; it might go off;" with 
 an expression of horror. 
 
 "So it will, if you don't hurry up." 
 
 My lord, trembling in every limb, 
 and his classic face blanched with 
 terror, delivered over his wallet and 
 valuables. 
 
 "And now let's see you travel," 
 continued the ruffian, pointing the 
 pistol at his head again. 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 Lord de Flukey unhesitatingly 
 turned upon his heel and fled, with- 
 out a thought of his fair companion. 
 
 In the meanwhile, another ruffian 
 had compelled our Senator to deliver 
 up also, and sent him flying off in 
 an opposite direction, firing a shot 
 over his head by way of effect. 
 
 Sadie was just thinking how nice 
 it would be if My lord or the Sena- 
 tor should turn out to be her rescu- 
 er in this strait ; but when she saw 
 their cowardice and deliberate fright, 
 she was forced to come to the con- 
 clusion that she must be her own 
 rescuer, and being a determined girl, 
 she turned right about face and ran 
 for dear life. 
 
 But she had not gone many paces, 
 before one of the ruffians was upon 
 her and caught her in his arms. 
 
 "Unhand me, wretch," she scream- 
 ed, in the height of distress. 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 ''Oho, not so fast, my beauty," 
 chuckled the villain, clasping her 
 tighter. 
 
 She struggled bravely, but in vain. 
 The other ruffians, with their spoils 
 in their hands, gathered about her 
 and laughed aloud over the success 
 of their expedition. 
 
 "And now, Jim," said one, who 
 appeared to be their leader, "you 
 lead on wUh the girl. Greg, you 
 help him. We must have her safe 
 at the 'Boost' by noon. The major 
 '11 pay us handsomely for this. 
 Come on." 
 
 She tried to cry out, but Jim 
 stuffed a handkerchief in her mouth, 
 and he and Greg secured her safely, 
 and proceeded to drag her off. 
 
 But suddenly a vigorous "halt!" 
 rang through the silence of the for- 
 est, and- the next moment, a tall, 
 manly figure stepped into view. 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 Sadie threw a glance of unuttera- 
 ble anguish at him, and then one of 
 joy and recognition. 
 
 "Bob Adams 1" She wanted to 
 cry out, but she couldn't. 
 
 It was indeed he. In either hand 
 he held a revolver. In a moment 
 they were cocked and leveled at the 
 villains. 
 
 ■'Eelease that lady !" he cried. 
 
 "What's the matter with you ?" 
 inquired Jim, coolly. 
 
 "You won't obey me ?" 
 
 "You'd better go home and tell 
 your mother she wants you," laugh- 
 ed Greg. 
 
 "I'll give you just five seconds to 
 unhand that lady," and Bob set his 
 teeth hard. 
 
 The leader of the gang frowned 
 heavily ; then suddenly drew forth 
 a revolver and fired at the coura- 
 geous young man. 
 
The Winning O't. 
 
 The shot missed. The next mo- 
 ment there was another report, and 
 with a groan, the leader fell heavily 
 to the ground. 
 
 The others now drew their knives 
 and revolvers and charged upon Bob 
 in a body. A score of shots were 
 exchanged, and two more of the 
 ruffians fell. Bob was still unhurt. 
 Then a fourth of the gang lay wel- 
 tering in his blood, and a^t renewed 
 shots from Bob, the two others fled 
 into the woods. 
 
 Sadie had watched the struggle 
 with bated breath and heart stand- 
 ing still, and now that it was over, 
 her strength gave way ; she lost her 
 senses and fell in a dead faint — into 
 Bob's arms. 
 
 "Won, by G-eorge !" he exclaimed, 
 
 triumphantly, as he bent over her. 
 
 "Yes, that was the winning o't. 
 
The Winning O't. 23 
 
 Bob dragged her away from the 
 scene of action to a neighboring 
 brook, where he Boon brought her 
 back to consciousness. 
 
 The poor fallen ruffians, as soon 
 as the couple was out of sight, arose, 
 and went off arm-in-arm, laughing 
 aloud. Could Sadie have seen them 
 without their masks, she would 
 have recognized them friends of 
 Bob and herself, whom the former 
 had persuaded to enact these parts 
 for him. 
 
 The reader can guess the finale. 
 My lord and the- Senator often boast- 
 ed of their gallant defence, but were 
 effectually hushed when, on the 
 wedding day of Bob and Sadie, they 
 were the recipients of the valuables 
 that had been robbed from them 
 "with the compliments of Eobert 
 Adams." 
 
24 The Winning O't. 
 
 And then, mentally cursing their 
 luck, they saw through the win- 
 ning o't and left for parts unknown. 
 
 THE END. 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 
 
LIBRARY OF CONGRESS