The Brunswick daily news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1903-1906, 1904-12-11
The Judgment of Nathan;
Or the Story of How He Selected
the Right Woman For a Wife
80

snapped sWhg-why. you can't mean
il, Daniel" he suffered.
Il most certainly do, replied Daniel
with an assumption Of nonchalance
that he was far from feeling.
"B-but at your agel7
Never too late to mend observed
Daniel bllthely.
y don't know IL mend is the right
word for it." Nathan shook his head
obviously, and If It is 1t seems to me
that il "a a got along to the ripe old
age Of sixty-three unmended I'd a sort
a felt 50 natural that way that ! would
not bothered about the REPAIRS
4 amt but sixty-two,@ objected his
friend
AS good as sixty-three. l know
when your birthday is by reckonin
from mine. Don't you remember, / had
to lie about my age SOS we could en-.
list in the same company
Well, then, have It your own way
then, do. sixty-three amt old"
I'm not SO sure Now / am great
grandpa at that age an you just a
startin in, but who's to be the happy
Mrs. Freeman?9
Daniel blushed until his notified
face resembled a yariegated pincush
ion. There's two of them I'm heai-
tatin' between" he answered, looking
vaguely at flaming sumach bush on
the opposite shore.
Well, prompted Nathan.
Two Of en-, repeated Daniel,
bring his index finger down upon the
board with thwack and staring hard
at IT,; "one is-one is''-he shifted his
gaze to thistle close at hand, and
picking up a switch threshed it vigor-
ously Nathan Whitfield away without
the least appearance of interest.
One is Abby Bell"
Nathan nodded his head in zorro
boration, somewhat disappointed at a
revelation that was no revelation. be-
cause Millville had been daily expect
ing their marriage for thirty years
And the other is-eonfound that
bee, he's agoin' to sting me yet"
Well, for heavens sake, calculated
Nathan, Say it-say it--is who?"
Ann Elizabeth Tompkins,' Daniel
blinked his eyes, inflated his cheeks,
until they resembled a bellows, and
blew out the name as il It were plug.
The mischief gasped Nathan.
Now, what have you got against
Ann Elizabeth?' demanded Daniel,
with an injured air.
A widow an a gossip, an equal suf-
ffagist an a social purityite, soul
feeder an sanctifed person. an to
marry you! Lord! Lord The saint and
the sinner, the hawk an the dove, the
sheep an the goat yah, yah!" The
old man grasped his knees In his
hands and rocked to and fro in an
eeslacy of mirth
Go on!" cried Daniel. pile 1t up.
Insult your best friend if you will, but
don't drag her in; don't you say moth
ing about her until she's present to de-
fend herself"
Il wouldn't dare to then, said Ma
than, earnestly. why, Danl, she's a
match for any two men in Millville,
an you know It. Six feet tall an two
hundred-if a pound Who-ee! Don't
You sit there an admit that you're con.
siderin' her Back track, Back track!
Climb tree; swim a stream. Any
way to spike the scent, my boy. |
hope It amt too late, comrade. l hope
you haven't gone and committed your
self beyond recall"
An acorn ratified from Dough to
bough in a neighboring tree and
struck the ground with a thud. Dan.
iel lodged with a quick duck OF the
head and glanced apprehensiyely over
his shoulder.
1T amt went that fun" he admitted.
I'm only a-iiguriu', as a fellow says
AN right, but don't you flgger too
close. Looky here. Dan1. amt got a
thing against you marryin', but after
having been so uncommon deliberate.
let's not get in an alfred hurry ali
ct once It's mighty easy to get mar.
ned. It's as easy as 1t is for a rat
to get into one of them patent traps.
and marriage has got its bars, too. as
well as its bait, Now, to continue the
argument we will say. my boy, you're
a-marryin' to better your condition,
for the purpose of beeomin' more CON.
Portable; an | judge that's all bach
elor thinks of when he's MARVIN. IL
sach be the case, an | think / know
You pretty WE'LL don't you make the
mistake of marryim' a widow of strong
convictions and mature age. My
brother married a widow. Rs was
about your age when he did it, TOO. an
ont of consideration for his feelin's
an in the hope of havin' life of ease
the rest Of his days he selected what
he thought was a rich widow. Wen
they hadn't hardly ct their first meal
together until he realized he was tied
up to whited sepulchre Yes. sir for
fact She took all her money and
Put il into costly monument to her
FIRST husband. an George w. had 10 cut
right out an dig for a livin'.
He tells me it is q mighty handsome
stone. with two angels carved ON IT,.
clasping hands. an right below the
words. Till We meet again Many 3
the night says George W.. that I've
laid awake calculatin' lust where I'm
supposed to be whilst they are a-meet.
ia an claspin hands.
"Danl widow either makes club
or clog out Of her first husband. You
are either whole LOT worse or you're
never quite so good as he was, an the
longer he's buried the better he gets.
Another thing too, panl, there IS
no such thing as romance in a second