Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1898-03-13
lN LOVE WITH "A WIDOW.
 eopyri2b' sos. BY cHAS. B. LEWIS.



 years old the Widow Deakins came to live on the next farm to the north. Ezekiel observed that she was about 50 years of age, passably good look ing and of a thrifty turn, with the farm all her own and no children around, but he stopped right there for six months. He was hard-worker, slow of foot and of speech, and there was nothing i'm petuous about him. When any of the family said anything in praise of the Widow Deakins in his hearing he took about ten minutes to think it oyer, and then replied:
 ''Yaas, the widder is gaul-durned niee-loollin' woman, and some eyenin' I'm goin' to grease my butes and comb my h'ar and go over and play fox-and- geese with her"
 He meant what he said, but it might have been years instead of months be- fore he got around to it but for acci- dent. One day when he was hoeing corn he heard screams from the direc- tion of the widows house. Zel1e hood four more hills and then paused to wonder if the widow had burned her hand while making soft soap, or fallen out of ? harvest apple tree while after some choice fruit. As the screaming continued he made up his mind that he had better go and investigate, but he took his hoe along, and he didn't hurry Ten minutes later he was at the widows kitchen door.
 A tramp who was two-thirds drunk and one-third sassy" had come along and demanded lunch. He didn't fancy what was passed out to him, and suspecting the widow to be all alone he bluffed her for mince pie and hot coffee. He looked tough and he talked ugly, but instead of taking the bluff, the widow stood on the doorstep and shouted for help. The tramp was get ting scared, and would probably have gone away on his owu accord, but as he was thinking of it Ezekiel Hopkins ar rived. As he stood looking from the widow to the tramp and back and won dering what it was all about, the for mer explained the situation. So did the tramp, but he made mess of it.
 ''Darn a critter who will skeer a wom- an!" exclaimed Zeke, as he hung up his hoe on the limb of cherry tree and spat on his hands. Now, then, we are goin' to hev the awfullest fight which ever was!"
 The widow thought that if he led the tramp to the gate by the ear and started him off with kick, the aims of justice would be satisfied, but the farm CTS son begged to differ with her. He thumped and booted the impudent way farer until there were yells for mercy and promises to lead a more upright life in future, and when the end had been reached, the widow thanked him for his eXertions, praised his courage, and ended by asking him to eat the half of freshly baked green apple pie and drink a quart of rare old cider. 1t was an hour or more before Zeke found his way back to his corntield, and down in his heart there had been plant ed a germ which was bound to sprout and grow and develop into shade tree big enough to shelter Cupid from the rays of the hottest sun.
 She's a gaul-durned nice woman, the widder is,' Zeke kept saying to himself, as he chopped at the weeds and drew dirt up around the hills; and at the supper table that evening he re- lated his adventure and added:
 Say, now, but if 1 was old huff to marry the widder I'd go over and pop the question this very Thursday night"
 No more tramps called the young farmer from the field but by and by it came about that after his labors of the day were over and he had milked the cows and fed the hogs and fastened mp the hen house door against the en- trance of prowling weasels and pole cats, q strange thing would happen. He would wash his face and hands in strong soapsuds, grease his hair and his boots and arrayed in his Sunday best he would take a walk in the di- rection of the Widow Deakins'. If he came tiptoeing through the kitchen at midnight that was an early hour. Nothing was said to him for weeks, but one day as he and his father were dig ging potatoes the old man strengthened up to rest his back and blurted out:
 ''Zeke, whar' ye goin' to every night in the week. all dressed up?"
 "To see a gal" replied zeke, after a long interval.
 Thought twas the Widow Deal1ins.' 5
 ''So she be-"
 'Um. Purity far sort O woman"
 '.She's gaul-durned nice"
 Nothing further was said for an hour. Then the father fell over mass of po- tato vines which he was kicking out of the way and sat up and rubbed his shins and said:
 Then why don't ye marry herr"
 ''Goin' to, mebbe," replied Zeke, ten minutes later, and there was no further confidential conversation between the two.
 Every night in the week Ezekiel Hop ldns made his appearance at the Widow DealSins', and every night in the week the parlor was open and he was greeted with a smiling welcome. Sometimes he and the widow played fox-and- geese or