Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1899-02-10

Irregular born old bach" He had houted
and scorned womanhind most of the fifty
years of his life, and had openly set forth
his conviction that men were better OF
without 'em than with 'em," particularly
when it come to marrying Of EN-" He
had held to this conviction so long and
had proclaimed it so boldly and so con-
stantly that all of the match-makers in
the rural neighborhood in which he lived
had given him up a hopeless case beyond
the pale of their schemes for making a
benedict of him.
Jared was not, like most avowed women
haters, a grabbed, croSs-grained, sneering-
ly cynical man, which made his celibacy
all the more objectionable in the eyes of
the match-makers.
He'd make real good husband if he d
try" they said. "Then he has the incest
farm in the neighborhood, with one of
the best houses on it and money out at in
terest, although he's not bit mean and
stingy. He'll do his full share always for
a neighbor in distress. 1t isn't because
he's too stingy to support her that Jared
doesn't get him wife"
1t was a clear, crisp morning in Febru-
ary when Jared rode to the village with
the widow Darby seated beside him in
his neat little cutter. The seighing was
fine and the air keen and eXhiarating. 1t
gave the widows plump cheeks a beauti-
full crimson glow and made her black eyes
sparkle. She was in high spirits and her
laugh rang out frequently as merry and
ripping as the laugh of child
But then the widow Darby was proven
bially CHEEKY. She had suffered keenly
the loss of her husband and both of her
children, but time had softened her grief,
and she was too wise to spend her life
In gloom and grief over the loss of those
who were beyond all care and sorrow.
She had comfortable little home and a
few acres of land adjoining Jared Kent's.
She had known Jared all of her life, but
not once had she thought of him as a
possible successor to Joel Darby.
Jared will never marry any one" she
had said HE isn't of a marrying dispo-
sition. Some men are that way. It's all
they lack to make 'em what God intended
they should be. My husband and used
to talk Jared over good deal, and we did
our full share to get him settled for life
with good wife, We used to invite lots
of nice girls, young and elderly both, to
our house and then have Jared come over
to tea and to play croquet with him. He'd
be nice and pleasant and all that but he
never came any ways near falling into
any of the traps we set for him. We
thought once that he did take kind of
shine to a nice, sweet, real good looking
girl of about 30 named Janet Deane from
over Shelby way, who was visiting us.
She'd of made him an awful good wife,
and l sung her praises all the time, but
nothing came of it,"
'It's an elegant morning isn't II ?" said
jared as he and the widow flew along
over the hills and through long lanes in
which the snow was drifted almost to the
top rails of the fences.
"oh, it's lovely" replied the widow. 81
like snow"
80 do l. You got much to do in town ?''
mo- I'll be through with all of my err
rands in an hour. / can let something 20
II you don't want to stay in town that
long"
"Oh, that'll be none too long for me.
Where shall l meet your
III be at Smith & Hanscom's dry goods
store, any time you say"
well call II IL o'clock, then"
1t was three minutes after II when
Jared drove up to the appointed place of
meeting. The widow had stepped into
the sleigh and he was tucking the robes in
around her when she said:
There, Jared, I'm just like other won.
en-; I've forgotten something"
What is itT
Il forgot to so around to the postofIlce
l know that there's nothing there for me
because one Of the Stone boys brought my