The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1872-10-11
HIGGINS AND THE WIDOW.

One day Sandy Higgins came into my
Office and sat down without a word; for
some minutes he sat still, watching
me intently, a. If trying to make out
by the sound of the pen what l was
writing.
Squire" he said at length, s'did I
ever tell you about my scrape with the
widow Horny up here on the Rivera"
Never did, !" said l, laying down my
pen "let's have it,
"They're curious creatures, widows
u, said he in meditative tone, land
the more you study about 'em the more
you don't know anything about EN-.
What was this thing I've read about in
Egypt, or some other country, that no.
body could unriddle?r
The Sphinx, probably" l replied.
" Well" continued he, "that was a
widow as sure as you ever had granny.
Everything else in the earth has been
found out but them, and they're as
much mystery to-day as the length of
the North Pole. You may read the
history OF the world from Genesis to
Revelations, and you'll find that widows
has been the bottom or top of FIVE
quarters of all the devilment that has
been cut up. Was you ever in love with
one?r
slots of them," said l.
you're great gander-that's what
you are said he. IA man that loves
one and gets over it won't never get bit
by another, if he's got as much sense as
ground hog. l don't consider that
I've got any sense at all, but I'm a little
too smart to let another of them get all
the trumps on me. The widow Horry.
that l was speaking of, is a little the
hAndsomest woman, ] reckon, that ever
looked . man into fits, and ought 10
tea judge, for I've seen lots of pretty
IN my day. She was about
tvvRty.hve yeafS OLD when | went up
tAeJS 70 WORK, just in the bloom of her
beauty, and - full of deviltry as three.
yearoad mule colt. There was a ball
over ct Jenkins, and of course went.
mr. I always 60 where there's any fun
going on, and generally act the fool be.
fore I get away. or course the widow
vas there, dressed as fine as Solomon,s
iliee, and flying around as risky as a
yeang lamb in q rye patch. l got in.
uoduced to her and asked her to dance
with me, and when she fash her ewes
ct me and said 'yes,' jumped up like
lhad set down on hot griddle. You
may talk about sensation, but when she
tnnk hold Of my hand and sorter
squeezed IL, | felt a se,.sation as big a.
load Of wood, and it kept running up
and down my back like squirrel with
hawk after him. I'm very fond of
aancing, but I'll be hangedif l know
'Hethef ! enjoyed il that night or not,
Tor every time she took hold Of my hand
Id commence feeling curious behind
my ears and up and down, my back
again, and then / wouldn't know
whether was on earth, or in balloon,
or on comet, anything about it. 1t
was undoubtedly case of love at first
sight, and powerful bad case at that.
For wonder, | got through the frolic
without making conspicuous or cutting
up any extras, as / am in the habit OF
doing when l 60 into public. I'd set
my pegs to go home with the widow
after the bail, but just as was fixin my
mouth 70 ask her, up steps big, long,
leather.faced doctor named Mabry, and
walked her of before my eyes. That
rilsd me some, but kept my tongue
still, inwssdly swearing 70 break his
Aones the very FIRST opportunity that
presented itself. | saw there was no
use in saying anything, so Invent home
and went to bed, and all the rest of the
night ] was dreaming about rainbows.
angels, butterflies, fiddles, widows and
doctors, mixed up worse than a Dutch
mans dinner.
"Wsn,SquiSe, to make ashort story
Of It, I made up my mind 10 have the
widow, or kill myself or somebody else.
$50 l made it convenient to be ON
hand where she was, upon all occasions.
couldn't eat nor sleep nor work, and
if the thing had held on, wouldn't
have had sense enough left to skin a
rabbit. But was determined itshouldn't
last long, for I'd been fooled so often by
woman that I thought I wouldn't give