Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1877-03-23
BILL AND THE WIDOW.

glanced across the table into the
bright eyes of his neat little wife;
"wouldn', it be good joke to ge,
bachelor Bill Smiley to take widow
Watson to Barnula's SNOW next
week."
'You can't do it El.; he won't ask
her; he's so awful shy. Why he
came by here the other morning
when I WAS hanging ont some clothes
and he looked over the fence ,nd
spoke, but when ! shook out Il night
gown, he blushed like girl and
went away"
81 think | can manage it," said
Ed; "but iii have to lie just II little.
But then it wouldn't be much harm
under the circumstances, for know
she likes HIM, and he don't dislike
her; but, as you say, he's SO shy
I'll just go over to his place to bor-
row some bags OF him, and il | don't,
bag him before l come back, don't
kiss me for week, Nellie"
So saying, Ed. started, and while
he Is crossing the field, we will look
at Bill Smiley. He was rather II
good-lookiny fellow, though his hair
and whiskers shovel some gray, and
he had got in IL set of artificial teeth.
Every one said he WAS Il good soul,
and SO he was. lie had as good II
hundred-acre farm MS any in Nor
wich, with new house and every
thing comfortable, and if he wanted
i wife, many girl would have
jumped at the chance, like rooster
on Il grasshopper. But Bill WAS so
observation-disclosures waS-.,nd when
Susun Berrybottle, whom he was
sweet OH, though he never s;ld "boo"
To her, got married to old Watson,
he just drew in his head, like an old
lnudlurtle, into his sh, II, and there
"as no getting him out ayain,t ough
IT had been noticed that since Susan
had become Il widow, he had paid
more attention to his clothes, and
had been very regular in attendance
at the church the fair willow attend
ed.
But here comes Ed. Wilbur.
''Good morning, Mr.. Smiley"
'Good morning, Mr.. Wilbur,
what's the news up your way"
"Oh, nothing particular, that |
know of, said he, "only Barnum's
show that everybody is talking about
and every body and his girl is going
TO. l was over to old Stockridcr'S )
last night, and | see his son Gus, has
got Il new buggy, and was Scrubbing
up his harness. and he's got that
white faced colt of his rs >lici as Il
seal. | understand he anticipates
taking widow Watson to the show.
He's been hanging round there :.
good deal of late, but III just cut
him out, | would. Susan is Il nice
little woman, and deserves Il better
man than that young pup OF 4 fellow,
! though | would not blame her much
either if She takes him, for she must
be dreadful lonesome, and then she
has to let her farm out Oh shares,and
it isn't halt worked, and no one else
seems to haye spunk to speak up to
her. by jinyo, if | were Il single
man I'd show you ! thing or two
SO saying, Ed. borrowed some
bags and started round the corner OF
the barn, where he had left Bill
sweeping, and got his ear to Il knot
hole and listened, knowing that the
bachelor had habit of talking t,
himself when anythingSworric.i him.
"Confound that young SIockrider
what business has he there, I'd lik,
to know?' said Bill, "got new
buggy, has he? Well, so have Land
new harness too, and | declare, Tv,
half Il mind to-ycs, I'll 60 this very
night and ask her to 90 To the show
with me. III show Ed. Wilbur tha,
l amt such IL calf as he believes
am, if | did let old Watson get tn,
start in the first place"
Ed. could scarcely keep from
laughing outright, bu; he t:lStene,
the bags on his shoulder, and with /;
low churklc at his Success. started
home to tell Nellie; and aboIt five
o'clock that evening, they SAW Bill
20 by with his horse and buggy Oh
his way to the widows. He joggeo
along quietly, thinking of the old
singing school days-and what A.:
pretty girl Susan was then, and
wondered inwardly if he would hav.
more courage to talk up to her, unit
1t Il di> >tancc of about Il mile o, hen
house, he came 10 bridge over ;
large creek, and it SO happened thai
just rs he came the blldye he gave /;
tremendous smcczr, and blew his
teeth out o, his mouth and cle.l
over the dashboard, and striking J.;
plank, they rolled over the, side OF
the bridge and rolled into tour fee,
of water.
Words can not do justice to pool
Bill, or p int the expression on hi
face, as he sat there, completed y
dunbtoundcd at his startling piece
of ill-luck. After awhile he stepped
out of his buggy and getting down
OH his hands and knees, leeped ovel
into the water. Yes, there they ar,
at the bottom, with Il crowd of hui.
fishes rubbing their noses agai Isl
them, and Bill wished to goodness
mis- nose was close for one seconl.- -
His beautiful teeth that had cost hin
SO much, and the show was coming
OH and 10 time to get another SET
and the widow and young Stock
rider. Well, he must try and get
tn III somehow-and no time I,
lose, for some one might counc along
and ask what he was fooling around
there for. lie had no notion of soil
ing his good clothes by wading III
with them on, and besides if he did
he could no; 90 ON 10 the widow 5
that night, 80 he took Il look up and
down the road to see that no on.
was in sight, and then quickly un'
dressed himself laying his clothes i'll
the buggy to keep them clean. Then
he ran around to the bank and wad
ed into the almost ice-cold water, but
his teeth did not chatter in his head
he only waded along SO rs not to
stir up the mud, and " hen he got tu
| I