Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1903-09-23
IA THEIR
AND SON
fcopyright, 1903. BY G. B. Lewis. ]

When Jabez Lee had been a widower
year and half he Strengthened up in
the cornfield one day and said to his
son Jonah, who was hoeing the next
row on his right:
"Joner, folks is sayin' that ought to
| git married ag'in."
Eyes, I've heard 'em say so,'' replied
the son.
"And bein' as folks think / ought to
| git married ag'in, and bein' | don't
want my children to say they was neg
lected, think I'll drop over and see
the Wilder Spooner this evenin'."
Jonah. had been counting Widow
Spooner himself for the last three
months.
That evening Jabez Lee set out on a
counting expedition, while Jonah, who
did not dress up at ALL was also absent
from the house a couple of hours and
reached home only five minutes before
his father. On the next night his father
stayed home and Jonah went abroad.
1t got to be regular thing for Jabez
Lee to call on the Widow Spooner ev.
cry Wednesday evening. Some one hid.
den behind the fence threw stones at
him on three or four occasions, and
once he caught sight of man skulk-
ing about in the darkness. All of sud
den one day he got an idea. 1t was an
idea that made him catch his breath
and lift his right fist in the air and
shake it and mutter to himself:
"By gum. but that seems to explain
1t! If it's so, I'll make joiner tired clear
up to his chin"
The idea was developed that very
evening. When Jonah changed his
clothes and took a walk the father fol-
lowed him and kept hot trail to the
Widow Spooner's. The murder was
out and the mystery solved. The par
lor curtains had not been lowered, and
the father crept up and saw that his
rival made himself very much at home
on the very chair he himself had occu-
pied the night before. Two hours lat
err, as the son wendell his way home
ward, rock whizzed by his ear, and a
ghostly yell from the darkness jumped
him six feet. Next day, while his hair
was still curling and he was trying to
connect that yell with his fathers deep
bass voice, the old man suddenly turned
on him with:
"Joner, if you was courtin' woman
and sneak of Teller tried to sneak
himself in, what would you do?'
I'D lay for him." promptly replied
the son.
That's jest my way O. thinkin' Yes,
sir; I'd lay for him and lick him till he
couldn't holler."
''Drat such sneaksv
Father and son looked into each 9TH
er's eyes for moment, and each dis
sembled and tried to look innocent.
They understood each other however,
and both set their jaws as they went
on with their work. That night was
Jonah's night to go counting and be-
fore he left the house he took notice
that his father was missing. He real
lied at once what that meant, and he
began TO plan. The route to the Widow
Spooner's carried him over a bridge
spanning deep creek near her house.
There were trees near the north end,
making a deep shadow for many yards,
and Jonah felt that his father would
wait for him there and play some trick.
He therefore removed his boots when
he was yet twenty yards away and APP
preached the spot with catlike tread
1t may be stated in advance that the
father was there in the shadow. He
had sheet ready to wrap around him
self and pillow case ready to pull over
his head. He was not only going to
play ghost, but the ghost would do
some humping before Jonah could get
away. In that same deep, dark shadow
was second party. 1t was an old lame
mule which had been turned out to get
his living beside the highway, and he
had halted at that spot that night to
ruminate and doze. He stood within
twenty feet of the man in ambush, but
made no noise tegive himself away. In
fact, he took no interest whatever in
the proceedings for time, realizing
that he had passed the age when he
should be mixed up in love adventures.
and it was not until his long ears de-
tected the approach of Jonah that his
eyes shook off sleep and he wondered
what was up. Jonah crept forward foot
by foot, and at last his presence was
also detected by the father. With soft
ness of touch he got ready his ghostly
garments and was on the point of don
ming them and making a rush when
the old mule raised his head. tapped |
his ears and uttered bray. 1t was a
bray that split the air with thunderous !
sound and made things shake for rods |
around. The awful and unexpected |
sound stirred the ghost and Jonah to |
action at the same instant. They went |
over the railing of the bridge and into |
the waters of the creek almost togeth- |