The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-05-09
TIE EVENING STORY
Three Old Md and . Widow.


Clifton. Miss Ninton was an old maid
because she never had met with a man
good enough for her. Miss Hopkins
was an old maid because the young
man she would have married at eigh-
teen was sawed in two in a saWmill and
she had vowed to be true to his mem
DRY. Miss Warner was an old maid
because she was determined to marry
none but minister, and all the minis
ters who came were already provided
for. The Widow Carter was a widow
because part Of a house had fallen on
her husband.
The old maids and the widow were on
visiting terms. In fact, they rather
liked each other. Where there are no
male candidates for matrimony con-
cerned, old maids and widows can sit
down together on the same veranda
without quarreling. After the widow
had solemnly assured the old maids
that nothing on the face of this earth
could induce her to be false to the
memory of her crushed, the quartet
liked each other even more.
One day one of the merchants in the
town sold out and stranger came to
take his place. If he had been mar
ried man the dove of peace would have
continued to hover over Rose street;
but as he was single, only thirty, ana
''eatch," the dove saw a hot Tina
ahead
The widow let no grass grow under
her feet in calling at the store and
incidentally mentioning her name and
ordering four pounds of sugar all at
once She was one of the Four Hun
dred of the town, and on the part of
the other 399 she babe Mr. Strong
welcome to their midst. When he had
thanked her she ordered two nutmegs
and paper of starch, in addition to
the sugar, to let him understand that
she wasn't obliged to pinch pennies,
and then departed.
An hour later her reprehensib1e con-
duct was known to the three old
maids, and up went three pairs of
hands; six eyes were turned upward
IN horror, and three mouths opened
TO exciaim in chorus, How shocking
Then, during the next two days,
each of the old maids made an ex-
cuSe to call at the store and follow the
programme carried out by the widow
Each thought she was sly and slick
but they found each other out. and
from that moment the bond of friend
ship snapped asunder like an old
clothesline left out in the storms of
year.
When women make war on each
other they don't use fence rails to
pound each other on the head. IN
most cases they go right on treating
each other as nicely as they can to
their faces, but using daggers and the
darkness to assassinate. The three old
}
gether as of yore, but the dagger was
used whenever there was the least
show.
Mr.. Strong proved a social success
The widow gave little dinner and
brought him out but the old maids
really monopolized him for the even
ing. Then Miss Warner gave an exhi-
bitlon of her own paintings, which con-
sisted Of a COW apparently thirty-six
feet long and of a river running up
ST. CT 4 Il
held Mr. Strong's attention for an hour
while she talked about her crushed and
departed
At the end of six weeks the man who
ran the sawmill and had a mortgage
on the milldam figured it out to his
wife:
There are three old maids to one
widow, but if the widow gets left she'll
be the first one ever heard Of
Even the small boys around town
noticed how girly the old maids were
becoming They giggled; they uttered
cute little screams when they turned a
corner and found themselves face to
face with a COW; they Uttered when
they asked for gum drops at the gro
Gerry. As for the widow, she set her
jaw and walked into the store two or
three time week to ask the merchant
If he thought the Seventy-seventh Ma
tional bank of Boston was perfectly
sound, and to sigh with relief when he
assured her of his confidence in the
institution. Sly reports were soon
afioat that Mr.. Strong was paying his
attention to this or that one of the
four. Then the other three would re-
ply as one;
We'll. maybe he is, but what on
earth he can see in her is more than I
can make out. She grows more home
ly and dowdified every day. OF course,
I'm telling you this in confidence, and
of course it won't go further"
One fatal evening tragedy after ira
L Il
of several happy households. Mr..
Strong boarded with a family living
half a mile from the store. He wanted
the walk. He had to cross the bridge
over the river and ascend a hill COW
cred with woods. and there wasn't
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 excuses,
but each one understood what the 9TH
er was at and determined to battle her
in the end.
Mr.. Strong had been given three
months in which to declare his atten-
lions, and he hadn't declared. His
habit was to return to his store after
a six o'clock supper and remain there
then, on this awful night, four human
figures might have been seen stealing
out of the town and over the bridge
Each and aye~y one of them would
have paused on the bridge TO listen to
the musical olash of the river if they
hadn't seen each other. The first, sec
ond and third were obliged to go on
to avoid the last one She was the
widow. She knew the value of 4
bridge and river and a musical plasll,
and she determined to stick.
One old tramp and a dog were re-
sponsible for most OF what followed.
The tramp came humping along
through the town. bent on finding
country straw stack as soon as posi-
Bile, and as the widow on the bridge
heard his footsteps she began TO look
artless and coy.
1t was labor thrown away The
tramp was nearsighted, and bumped
az-alr,st har md In her fr.a-l,t Il.