Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1906-08-30

ereu WIN woods, and mere wasn't a
house between his boarding place and
the town.
The three old maids and the widow
had had their eyes on this road from
the first. They had soon begun walk
ing for exercise. They didn't walk at
the hours the merchant might be eX-
pected, and If they encountered each
other they made all manner of ex-
cuscs. but each one understood what
the other was at and determined to
battle her in the end
Mr.. Strong had been given three
months In which to declare his atten-
tions, and he hadn't declared. Time
wa too valuable t. be wasted His
habit was to rpt-rn 10 his store GIter
The tramp came humping along
through the town. bent on finding a
country straw~tack as soon as possible,
ana as the widow on the bridge heard
his footsteps she began to look artless
und COY.
1t was labor thrown away. The
tramp was ncarsighted and bumped
up against her. and in her fright she
went over the low railing and down
into the water. If she couldn't swim
Ike duck she could at least scramble
like a cat and she managed to get
ashore. Her condition was dripping,
also dropping, also indignant She re-
allied that no dripping, dropping wo-
man stood the slightest show in that
contest. and she dragged herself home
ward and was not improved IN looks
or temper by having to wade through
a couple Of mud puddles
Miss Ninton came next. She was
sauntering up the hill wondering how
that widow" dared be so bold and
brassy when the tramp, who was now
on the run for his llfe, overlook her.
In his nearSightCdmesS he took her for
a horse and wagon and tried to shy
out. She SHE'D to the right at the same
time and was sent sprawling by the
collision She got out of the roadside
ditch to run into Il patch Of briers and
scream for help, but there was no help.
She had to eXtricate herself and follow
the bedraggled widow.
The dog alone was responsible for
what happened to the other two old
maids Miss Warner had discovered
one woman ahead and two behind her,
and, suspecting their flendish inten-
tIons, she had almost made up her
mind to abandon her object when the
dog, who had been calling on his broth
er out in the country, came along and
set up barking and growing. Trag-
edy was the result. The old maid nev-
er had encountered big bObtailed dog
at night on a hill, and she at once
scrambled over the fence into the
weeds and ran for her life. She fell
down and rolled over, and she rose up
again and struggled on, and when she
reached home two hours later she i'm
mcdiately went into Mysteries, and DR..
Seaton got bis first night call for four
teen years.
The dog had met with such success
that he was encouraged to perseyere.
He came upon Miss Hopkins out of the
shadows like a frisking haystack, and
as she screamed out and spread her
wings to fly she tripped and went
down. The fall might have Injured her
but for the fact that she fell upon soft
mud She couldn't go back TO town
looking like the mortar mixer for a
skySCrapcr, and she continued on to
the merchants boarding house TO get
the use of hoes and scrapers. They
were furnished, but while she was
using them she heard the ten-year-old
daughter whispering to her mother that
she'd bet a cent that Miss Hopkins had
come out there to giggle for Mr..
Strong.
That was an awful night In Clifton,
though only four feminine hearts knew
just how awful 1t was Morning
dawned with Il murky sky overhead.
1t seemed To three old maids and a
widow as if something more was still
to happen. They were right. When
the butcher boy called for his orders
he repeated the same words at every
house on his route:
Say, you heard the news? Mr..
Strong has gone to Phillipsville TO git
married today, and he's goin' to bring
the bride home tonight Hain't it
great