Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1889-11-15
RIVAL OF A PARSON.
ten notice posted thereon, which re

EI v/ find The mill door
" closed and writ
ten notice posted thereon, which read:
mill close on ercount of wife dyin'. Have
to go to buryin' over to Coon Run mectin'
house. Will be back in two hours"
SAM BECKETT.
Two or three customers who had
come from the extreme end of Pos
sum Ridge, concluded to wait for
Beckett's return rather than to make
the trip again; and SO, tying their
horses, they sat down on q log and
fell into a friendly chat.
"I'll tell you what, fellers," Rial
Harder said, after the weather and
crops had been discussed, "the takin'
off of old Sans woman is purity dog
goned student, amt it?''
eyes, it air, Rial, fur fack," Dan
Hawkins replied. "Reckon there
warn't nobody spectin' of it."
"No, and guess Sam hadn't fig
gered on it any hisself."
"Wonder if it'll git Sam down
much?"
"Reckon not bad. You see, when
feller's buried four wives he natu-
rally gets sort of used to it, and the
takin' off of the fifth hain't likely to
goso hard with him as it would ifshe
was the first, It's all bein' used to
things"
Eyes, that's so, Rial, and if fcller
ever gifts used to wives a dyin', l
guess Sam ought to be. There amt
many men as kin boast O. buryin'
five of 'em haudrunnin'
"No, there amt many, Dan, that's
SO. Wonder who Sam'll marry next
timer"
"Lor' | hain't no idea. Nobody
ever thought of him marryin' any of
them women he has married. Seems
like he has mighty takin' way with
the women folks, somehow, and it
does pear like women do most I'M
accountable things. Now there
wasn't anybody as ever thought of
Tilly Smith marryin' old Sam, was
there?"
81 guess not"
"But she married him, though"
eyes, that's SO, she did,"
"Well, and that's the way it'll be
ag'in. Old Sans doggoned lucky
when it comes to marryin', and l
guess he ought to be, after all the
experience he's had"
"Yes and the first thing you know
he'll have another wife. And she
won't be an old hag, either, but the
purtiest gal on 'Possum Ridge"
"Azactly-azactly. He has always
married young gals, and l low he'll
do it this time"
81 wouldn't be n blamed bit sur
prised, Dan, if he did spruce around
Bet Higgins. Bets the best-looking
woman on the ridge, and most any.
body'd be glad enough to git her. .
"But that wouldn't do him any
good, Rial. Reckon that preach,
er has got her fast enough"
HE may have, and he mayn't
have. We kin tell better a week from
now"
The two hours had run out and
Beckett returned.
"Sorrow | had to keepyou waitin'
men," said he, as he came up; "but
it couldn't be helped. Folks will die
and they can't be blamed for it; anG
they're just as liable to go at one time
as another. Tain!t in the nature o
things for people to chose their owr
time for dyin'; and when they di,
they have to be buried, you know
"Shore, Sam; that's all natura
enough. Reckon you find it power
full hard blow, comm so unexpected?'
Eyes, l do, Rial It's awful unhandy
lilly was asmart woman and Ihatet
to give her up; and besides, there ii
always more or less time lost in bury
in OF the dead one and lookin' rouno
for somebody to take her place"
"Reckon you'll marry ag'in?"
"Why, yes, of course; but | hahn
settled on anybody yet. 1t take
times for these things, you know, ant
a man has to look around little,
: Old Sam Beckett was well-to-do
and on 'Possum Ridge hewas locke,
upon as the money king ofthe world
He owned n good farm, besides TIL
old mill, and lived in a two.stor,
frame house-a luxury that was rar
at that time and which doomed III
immensely among its numerous los
cabin neighbors.
! Some time previous to the death o
Beckett's fifth wife old Jerry Higgins
had died, and, having a daughter tt
leave to the tender mercies of tn,
world, bequeathed her to old SAM
fatherly care.
Betty Higgins was just "risine
onto" Is, and was as pretty cir
as evergraced Possum Ridge society
and for that matter she would hav,
no mean ornament in more aristo
cratic circles.
For years she had constituted Jerr,
Higgins family, and he being
q man well-to-do financially, ant