The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-08-19

The real is but the half OF life; it needs
The IDEAL to make a perfect whole;
The sphere Of sense is Incomplete, and pleads
For closer union with the sphere OF soul.
| Good Words.
BILL AND THE WIDOW.
"Wife," said Ed. WILDER one morning
as he sat stirring his coffee with one
hand and holding plum-cake on his
knee with the otheri and looked across
the table into the bright eyes of his little
wife, .'wouldn't it be good joke to get
bachelor Bill Smiley to take widow Wat.
son to Barnum's Show next weekW
| "You can't do it, Ed; he won't ask
her, he's so awful shy"
" think I can manage it," said Ed. ;
s'but Pll have to lie just little. Pll just
90 over to his place to borrow some bags
| of him, and if don't bag him before I
come back don't kiss me for week,
Nelly"
So saying, Ed. started, and while he
is moving the fields we will take look
at Bill Smiley. He was rather good
| looking fellow, though his hair and
whiskers showed some gray hairs, and
he had got a set of false teeth. But ey-
cry one said he was good soul, and so
| he was. He had as good a hundred acre
| farm as any in Norwich, with new
house and everything comfortable, and
| if he wanted wife, many q girl would
have jumped at the chance like a roos-
ter at a grasshopper. But Bill was 80
bashful--always was--and when Susan
| Sherry bottle, whom he was SO sweet on,
| though he never said "boo" to her, got
married to old Watson, he just drew his
head in like mud-turtle into his shell,
and there was no getting him out again,
| though it had been noticed that since
Susan had become widow, he paid
| more attention to his clothes, and had
| been very regular in his attendance at
the church the fair widow attended.
But here comes Ed. Wilbur.
"Good morning, Mr.. Smiley"
| "Good morning, MIR. Wilbur; what's
the news your wayW
"0h, nothing particular, that l know
Of" said Ed. "only Barnum's show, that
everybody is talking about, and every
body and his girl are going to. 1 was
over to old SockridePs last night, and
see his son Gus has got a new buggy, and
he's got that white-faced colt Of his as
slick as a seal. / understand he thinks
of taking Widow Watson to the show.
| He's been hanging around there good
deal of late, but I'd just like to cut him
out-l would. Susan is nice little
woman, and deserves better man than
that young pup of a fellow; though l
would not blame her much, either, if she
takes him, for she must be dreadfully
lonesome; and then she has to let her
| farm out on shares, and it isn't half
worked, and no one else seems to have
the spunk to speak up to her. By jingol
| il l were single man, I'd show you a
trick or two."
So saying, Ed. borrowed some bags and
| started around the corner of the barn,
where he had left Bill sweeping. and put
his ear to the knot-hole and listened,
knowing the bachelor had habit of talk
ing to himself when anything worried
| him.
"Confound that young bagriderW said
Bill, "what business has he there, I'd
like to- know? Got new buggy, has
he7 Well, so have /, and new harness,
too; and his horse can't get sight of mine
and declare Pve half mind to-yes,
will! Pll 60 this very night and ask her
to 20 to the show with me. pll show Ed.
| Wilbur that l amt such a calf as he
thinks am, If did let old Watson get
the start OF me in the first placeW
| Ed. could scarce help laughing out.
right, but he hastily hitched the bags on
his shoulder, and with low chuckle at
Ibis success, started home to tell the
news to Nelly; and at about 8 O'clock
that evening they saw Bill go by with
his horse and buggy, on his way to the
Widows. He logged along quietly,
| thinking OF the old singing-school days
and what pretty girl Susan was then
and wondering inwardly il he would
have more courage now to talk up TO
her-until, at distance OF about q mile
from her house, he came to a~bridge, he
gave tremendous sneeze and blew his
the dashboard, and striking on the planks
they rolled over the side of the bridge
| and dropped into four feet OF water.
Words can not do justice to poor Bill,
or paint the expression of his face as be
sat there-completely dumbfounded at
his startling piece OF i'll luck. After q
while he stepped out OF his buggy, and
getting down ON his hands and knees,
| fboked over into the water. Yes, there
they were, at the bottom, with a crowd
| Of little fishes rubbing their noses
against them, and Bill wished to good
ness that his nose was as close for one
second. His beautiful teeth that had
cost him SO much, and sthe show coming
on and no time to get another set-and
the widow and young Sockrider. We'll
he must try and get them somehow-and
no time to be lost, for some one might
come along and ask him what he was
fooling around there for.
He had no notion of spelling his
clothes by wading in with them On; and
besides, if he did he could not so to the
widows that night, so he took look 1I
and down the road to see that no one
was in sight,and then quickly undressed
himself, laying his clothes in the buggy
to keep them clean. Then he ran around
the bank and waded into the almost icy
Ecold water, but his teeth did not chatter
in his head-he only wished they could
Quietly he waded along SO as not to stil
the mud up, and when he got to the right
spot he dropped into the water, .anC
came out with his teeth in his hand, ano
replaced them in his mouth. But bark
What noise is thatY "A wagon and a dog
barking with all his might. and his
horse is starting. "Whoa! whoal Stop
YOU brute, you, stopI' But stop III
would not, but went off at spanking
pace, with the unfortunate bachelor aftel