The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-01-09
WIDOW DRAKES BEAU
BY MARIE MOORE MARSH.

BY MARIE MOORE MARSH.
"Well"' said the hired girl, as she
took a clothespin from her mouth and
carefully fastened a pair Of trousers Of
ancient cut and ample proportions IL
the clOthesiine, "when it comes 70 Wild
ows, own 'em to be beyond my un-
derStanding. What Mrs. Drake can
see in that there furrin-speakin' west
erner, ! can't see. But there's no
question but what the weddin's to
come of soon, an her telling me TO
fetch these here close that belonged 10
number one out and air 'em Is 10 my
mind sure sign sh's goin' 10 dispose
of 'em an get 'em out of the way be-
fore number two comes along.
''Her first's been under the sod these
ten years an she's mourned him long
enough, the land knows. ain't in no
way against widows marryin' an try
in il again If they like; but | do say it
'ud be more seemly 10 choose a man o.
her own Yankee stock than one o frog
eatin' French descent"
And the hired girl gave the vest
which she was shaking jerk which
sent one Of the buttons halfway across
the yard.
Ii certainly did look as though there
was To be a wedding ii Widow brakes
before long, and the neighbors whis-
pered that there was a little romance
connected with it. And 50 there was,
but they never could have guessed
what il was about, neither could YOU if
you were to try for month-.so | am
going 10 tell you about it.
The Widow Drake was Il plump,
well-preseryed little body, with fresh,
rosy checks and bright blue eyes, and
the smoothest Of brown hair without IA
thread of silver in it. She was not
young, but no body would have guess
ed that she was forty, and as woman
is only as old as she looks, she kept her
own counsel ana let people speak of
her as being thirty-tive.
Her husband had LEFT hera neat little
home and enough money to keep her
comfortably without any care beyond
a few little economies now and then, in
the shape of dyed gown or a recon-
structcd bonnet.
Her life was calm and uneven tful
too uneventful, 10y half, she thought,
as she sat in the twilight stroking the
great Maltese cat which was her COM
pInion aud conhdaat.
Priscilla, the maid Of all work, was
a woman Of too mature an age 10 be
called girl in any other sense than
hired girl, and she chose that title OF
her own free will. She had lived with
Mrs. Drake during her brief married
life, and TIE widow had kept ever since
because she dreaded being alone in the
house. But Priscilla was neither sym
pathetic nor responsive, and Tom, the
Maltese cat, was much more apt To
agree with the widows opinions so it
was to him that she whispered, upon
this evening in June, that she had half
mind TO 20 west and take up a claim.
Aud Tom purred his approval and
the widow went on and poured into
his ear a scheme which had been work
ing in her mind for several days.
or course every one said that she
must BE- crazy. Odd, over-thrifty and
venturesome were the mildest Of the
a1jectives which were applied to this
harmless little woman, who was sim
ply tired of the dull life which she was
living and who knew Of no other way
of making a change which would ben
eft her health and mind and her purse
a well.
And this is how it happened that
this woman who seemed far too dainty
for such life, was living away out on
Dakota claim, in a snug little shanty
OF pine boards, banked with sods, and
i'm the midst of the cradest of surround
ings.
1t yas the first of July when she
filed her claim and it was required that
there should be six months residence
upon it. Everybody said that she new
er would stay half the time; but she
smiled and strolcd old Tom.
II wasn't 80 bad, after all, she
thought. There were plenty of neigh
bors-not very near, to be sure-but
half mile seems - much nearer in
that clear atmosphere which trans
mits light and sound so marvellous
ly.
Each morning she heard the shrill
vocal salute of the two schoolma'ams
who lived on the claim next hers; and
from her own door she would call back
hearty ''hallo-o," which always
brought smile to the faces of those
ancient danes.
And then, out there, everybody was
80 kind to everybody else, and some
body was always offering to bring ones
mail or groceries from the queer low
hut which served as general store,
post Office, machine shop, and dwell
ing in one.
OF course the bill of fare was apt to
be a little monotonous. There was a
great deal of salt pork and bacon and
dried fish, bat there were lots of timed
| vegetables and canned fruit from home