Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-01-16
DAILY SHORT STORY
Widow Burbridge's jealousy.

the outskirts of the village of Glen
dale, had been keeping company with
Thomas Parker, widower and village
contractor, for three years. and yet she
could not say she loved him. He had
pressed her for an answer on several
occasions. but she had replied that she
| wanted to be sure of her own feelings
first.
When the contractor sat down with
piece of chalk one day and figured 1t
up that he had been counting for three
years and the wedding day was not in
sight vet, he began to plan. AS he
planned he smiled, and three days later
the Widow Burbridge heard some
news.
He had missed one of his regular
sparkling nights, and she had been Won
dering about il, when old Mrs. Hopkins
dropped in TO give her the latest. 1t
was to the effect that Parker was
making up to another woman, anoth-
er widow living on Il farm two miles
away. Gossip was already saying that
he had Tilted Mrs. Burbridge and that
he would speedily lead the other to the
altar. When the old gossip had depart
ed, Widow Burbridge was heard say
ing:
Thomas Parker Tilted me for anoth-
er woman, Never on this earth! 1
will do the jilting. 1 will write him
at once that all is over between us"
But she didn't. When she got all
ready, she discovered that there was
no ink in the house. simultaneously
she made two other discoveries-that
she loved the widower and that jeal-
ousy had crept into her heart for the
first time i'll her life. Yes, she was in
love and ready to say Yes" and her
eyes flashed ut the thought of the con-
tractor saying sweet things TO any 9th
er woman. She finally concluded to
wait for him to appear and then to en-
courage him to pop the question for the
ninth or tenth time, but when it came
o o'clock in the evening and he had not
appeared she became excited. 1t must
be true about the other woman.
At 10 o'clock. the demon of jealousy
having gnawed at her heart for an
hour, she put on her bonnet and start
ed out. She didn't exactly know where
she was going. but somehow her feet
carried heN through the village and
along the country highway. She want
ed TO see if the widower was really Wis
iring the other widow. If so. they
would be seated in the parlor, and the
curtains would be up. as in all farm
houses. As she left the village behind
her the jealous woman suddenly stun
bled over a hog sleeping in the road
and was given an acrobatic fling. Some
women would have turned at finding
their hat crushed fiat as pancake and
their dress covered with dust, but this
one did not. She pressed on with teeth
shut together, and five minutes later
COW ran her into the wayside ditch.
She was badly rumpled as she climbed
out, but she consoled herself that it
was night and no one could see her.
Her third adventure was with be-
lated wheelman. He came whizzing
along the road at express speed. hav-
ing no light and figuring that all hon
est folks We're abed. That bike struck
the woman all over. and when she re-
turned to consciousness she found her
self climbing the fence into field.
She was wondering what she wanted
there when she fell into one of the
pits of n brickyard. As the excavation
was full of mud and water, she was
not hurt. but it took her the best part
of ten minutes to pull herself out She
climbed the fence back into the high
way with the intent of pressing on,
but there was one more surprise i'll
store for her. An aged mule that had
been turned out to die and was max
ing u game fight of it was lying by
the roadside as she came along. 1t
sighed for human society and scram-
bled up and uttered a bray that made |
the widow jump two feet and brought |
a scream in answer. Without knowing |
what it was, but believing that her |
last hour had come, she turned to flee. |
As she did so she was caught in the |
arms of Thomas Parker, who cried out: |
"Villain, one step farther and you are |
a dead man! Mary, you are saved. 1 |
called at your house, but as you were |
not at home L came in search of you.
Back, wretch. Your victim has eS-
capped your.
"Oh, Thomas" sobbed the bedrag gled
widow, II love you
"Are you sure of it?'
Eyes; 1 know it is love at last, and |
I'll marry you next week"
"And how came you to walk so far:"
ne aSkeu as tney plOuueu alOHS, with
her water filed shoes splashing joy
fully.
IL lost my way, and if you hadn't
come up just as you did,
Don't mention it. 1 have stood
ready to save your life at any time i'll
-hese last three years. Now. then, we
ire to be married in two weeks?"
yes"
And they were. The honeymoon was
IT'LL on when old Mrs. Hopkins called
IN the bride to say:
Il declare. but i think something's
zone wrong in my head. L don't seem
o get things right somehow. You
Know L was telling you about that 9th
III