Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-02-05
she had exchanged at the bank appeared

+ she had exchanged at the bank appeared t
confirm the story, .
} Il rather think, y said the deacon, com
posedly, II can see into milestone abou
as far as most people a statement the lite
raj truth Of which defy any one to ques
ton, though as to the prime fact Of pee
pies being able to see into milestone a
all, doubts have now and then intrudet
themselves upon my mind"
Next Sunday the Widow Wells appeared
at church in a new and stylish bonnet
which led to some such remarks as these
How much vanity some people have tt
be sure!'' d4fsq
Elbow a woman that has to keep boarders
for living can afford to dash out with
such bonnet is more than can tell.
should think she was old enough to know
BETTER 81
The last remark was made by a young Ia
dy just six months younger than the widow
whose attempts to catch a husband had
hitherto proved utterly unavailing. e
II suppose continued the same young
lady, s'she is trying to catch a second hus.
band with her finery. Before would con.
descend to such means I'd-I'd drown my.
self. u
| In the last amiable speech the young Ia
dy had unwittingly hit upon the true mo-
| tive. The widow aoas intent upon catch
ing deacon Bancroft, and she INDUCED in a
costly bonnet, not because she supposed he
would be caught with fnery, but because
this would strengthen in his mind the idea
thst she had stumbled upon hidden wealth.
The widow calculated shrewdly; and the
display had the effect that she anticipated.
Monday afternoon deacon Bancroft found
an errand that called him over to the
widows. 1t CHANGED to be tea-time. He
was importuned to stay at tea. and some
what to his own surprise, actually did
The artful widow, who knew the deacon s
weak point, brought OH one of her best
mince-pies, slice of which her guest par
took Of with zest.
"You'll take another piece, I KNOW y
she said persuasively.
Greatly, l am ashamed, said the deacon,
but he passed his plate. "The fact is he
said apologetically, ''your pies are so nice
I don't know where to stop.o
s'Do you call these nice?" said the widow
modestly. II call them common. I CAN
make mince-pies when 1 set out to, but
this time didn't have such good luck as
usual''
II shouldn't want any BETTER" said the
deacon emphatically.
Citizen | hope if you like them, you will
drop into tea often. We ought to be more
neighborly. Deacon Bancroft"
Deacon Bancroft assented, and he meant
gan to think the widow was very charm
ing woman. She was very comedy, and
then she was such an excellent cook! Be
sides, he had no doubt in his own mind
that she was worth a considerable sum of
money. What objections would there be
to her becoming Mrs Bancroft? He brought
the question before her one evening. The
widow blushed-professed to be greatly
surprised-in fact she had never thought of
such thing in her life-but, on the whole,
she had always thought highly Of the dea-
con, and to cut short the matter, accepted
him.
A month afterwards she was installed as
mistress of the deacon's large house. some
what to the surprise of the village people,
who could not conceive how she had
brought him over.
Some weeks after the ceremony, the dea-
con ventured to inquire about the pot of
gold she had found in the cellar.
''Pot of goldr' she exclaimed in surprise.
II know of none"
But" said the deacon disconnected,
"you know you asked me if the law could
claim it''
80, lor' deacon, I only asked from curl
osity.''
''And was that the reason you made in
quiries at the bank?"
'sCertainly, what else could it be.?"
The deacon went out to the barn, and
for about half an hour sat wrapped in 81
lent meditation. At the end of that time,
he calculated as a closing consideration,
CATER all she makes good mince-pies.''
1t gives me pleasure to state that the
union between the deacon and the widow
proved happy one, although to the end of
his life he never could quite make up his
mind about 'sThe Pot of Gold.''