The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1882-05-04
WIDOW APPLEDORE'S ROMANCE.

" A man that thinks of nothing bu
pep'mint oil an the price of wheat No
Emma Jane: my life has been humdrun
enough without my ending it with Dea
con Bliss. shan't have him I"
Well, we'll, Rosetta, if you won 1T ]
don't knows anybody's goin' ter try an
make you," chirped plump, rosy Mrs
Phlox, looking up from the stout blue
woolen sock she was knitting, "]
s'pose the deacon thought he'd riehl
to ask you, seein' it's free country
Caleb Appledore was awful nice man.
but SOS the deacon. Lone winner
are put on. Job Whittamore neglecrs
Your ea'ding, an just see what work
you have with your fires winters an
keepin' roads broke out"
I'm not going to marry Just to have
some one to tend the garden and do the
chores" said Mrs. Appledore. "I'v,
never found fault with them that,
dead and gone, but I know what it is t,
live with a person who does not carr
two pins fer the things ! do, and if ]
ever do marry again it will be s,mt
one who can sympathize with me. J
can't say I swallow all LAS Bradshaw
says about the marryin' of souls and af
finities, but there's some truth in it yor
may depend. Besides. I'd like little
romance in my life before 1 die"
Romance is all well 'nuff." said
Mrs. Phlrx "but you're thirty-nine
next March, Rosetta, an sech a man
Deacon Bliss don't grown on ever
bush. Bein' good provider, an 3
splendid farmer, an a deacon, an a
piller in the church may not be roman
tic, but they're good recommends in 8
man you thinkin' of marvin. I
hope you'll think twice"
81 have thought, and 1 shan't marry
the deacon" said Mrs. Appledore, de
cisively; IAN If that's being romantic
I'm not ashamed of it,"
The little widow did not look roman
tic. Hei complexion was a duu white
and her hair was dull brown. Dnll
too, were her large gray eyes that
blinked behind short-sighted glasses
but her form, though me lger and de.
void OF curve, was not without grace.
and she had clear, sweet soprano
voice which, though it was unframed,
she could use with taste and feeling,
The Harmonicum, the Di1vil'e musi
cal association, made her the
head OF all their committees. and
relied upon her to sing all the
solos. Indeed without her it could not
have existed. The wheezy melodeon
which was dozen Yeas old before it
became the property of the society had
at last collapsed under the energetic
fingers of Professor Jackson Jones, who
did the accompanying, and they were
tryingto buy a piano. They had given
concerts and had oyster suppers till Dix
vile was tired, when DIR. Ollapod sug-
gested lecture, 1t was whispered that
the doctor had expected the committee
to invite him 10 read one of his papers
on the Semitic tongues; but if he did
he was disappointed. They correspondcd
with many popular lecturers, who all de-
clined to visit Dixville on the plea of
engagements, and the committed at last
invited a certain Professor st. Clair
Smith, about whom they knew nothing
save that he had lectured in the neigh.
boring villages with acceptance, to ad.
dress them The professor had sud-
denly appeared in Dixville mounted on
fine gray horse. The next day he was
seen to enter the postoffice with a
green bag on his arm, and the gossips
immediately reported that he was
wealthy and had come from Boston, He
at once accepted the invitation of the
Harmonicum committee, and announced
that his lecture would be on the 'ePhi
osophy of Art The meeting house
was hired, and Mrs. Appledore with a
select few began practicing some music
for the occasion.
1t was the afternoon before the lee
ture, and Mrs. Appledore had invited
her sister to spend the day with her.
Domestic duties seemed to be Just what
Mrs. Phlox was made for. Her husband
and sister usually did all her thinking,
In return she served them with her
hands, but the few notions that did
creep into her round head she clune Ia
pertinaciously.
The worst kind of fool is a beetle.
headed old one," she said, after long
pause, ''an' putin this an that together
Rosetts l think you're preparin' witt