The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1906-07-21
When the Editor
"Puffed'
BY DONALD ALLEN
Copyright. 1906, by NJ. NJ. Cunningham

Widow Bidwell refused the matrlmO-
NAL offer rendered her by editor Flint
of the Weekly Clarion and Fergus
County Advertiser. Editor Flint had
owned and edited tb Clarion for many
years. He had never married because
he had been too busy making up and
working off his edition Of 600 copies,
getting UP and printing auction bills,
writing thrilling local notices of wood
wanted on subscription and other mat
tiers connected with a weekly journal
of twenty years ago. Some of his es-
teemed contemporaries sneeringly re-
marked now and then that he stole his
editorials, but when it came down to
writing out an auction bill they yielded
him the palm
Auction. Auction, Auctionw read
the average bill. Take notice that on
the 18th of September George Styles,
farmer will sell at public yendue all
the live stock and other personal prop
erty OH his farm on the Red Bridge
road. Said stock consists of horses,
cows, sheep and hogs and about 100
hens and geese Sale to begin at 10
a. m, and all will go to the highest
bidder
There was no doubt about the sue
cess OF the Clarion as a newspaper or
about the success of Editor Flint as an
editor. When he finally made up his
mind 10 marry the Widow BidweH.
there was no doubt that he would be
success as a Benedict. He struck
snag, however. The widow had been
obliged to turn to dressmaking since
her husbands death, and she did not
rank with the Four Hundred of the
village, but she was a lover of poetry
and she had dreams of poets While
this kept her grocery bill down, it in
terfered considerably with her getting
out orders on time, and she calculated
that one about offset the other.
The poetry loving widow had had
fifty different poetic effusions pub
Hshed in the Clarion over the nom de
plume of Flossie, but Mr.. Flint had
received the copy with a grunt, and
the public had recovered from the
shock each time within twenty four
hours.
The poems" had been published to
save carrying dead advertising Mrs.
Bidwell was rather surprised when
the editor dropped in on her one even
ing and proceeded to say that he want
ed her for the mistress of his house,
but she soon rallied and answered that
there was an insurmountable barrier
between them. He didn't look like
poet She knew what he could do i'll
the way of an auction bill, but the
man who wed Flossie must look the
part She would attend to the poetry
as heretofore but he must at least
have long hair, an aesthetic face and
dreamy eyes.
The editor saw at once that he
couldn't fill the BILL He wore his hair
short. had fat face, and his eyes
We're on the lookout for delinquent
subscribers instead of looking into the
far away. He therefore picked up his
hat and walked back to the office.
However, the iron had entered Mr..
Flint's soul. He had laid his forty
year-old heart at a woman's feet, and
she had spurned it. He either wanted
to commit suicide or secure revenge,
and after figuring up that the Clarion
plant was worth about $4,000 he decid-
ed to hang on to earth The first in
stallment of his revenge was shown in
I'VE take pleasure In informing our
readers that a brother Of the Widow
Bidwell, who writes beautiful verse
under the name of Flossie, has just
died and left her fortune estimated
at 100000. She has our heartiest con-
gratulations.'
OF course the public read the item,
and Of course the widow read 1t. There
wasn't a word Of truth in it, but when
people came and showered their con-
CALCULATIONS she couldn't bring her
self to deny the story. She was even
thankful to the Clarion for publishing
the canard The issue of the follow
ing week pursued the matter further.
I'VE understand" 1t said. chat the
fortune left to the Widow Bidwell by
her deceased brother in the west will
60 $4,000 better than at first reported.
There are reports aaoct that she will
remove to lew York city as soon as
sh. comes into possession and buy
re- :ifenra on Fifth aveu-c- Ter poem
this week il the best thing IN the pa
per"
The were more congratulations
and TIE widow 90, deeper into the
tolls. 1t WIS 50 nice 10 be patted on
the b.ck ana sofs soapei that she
ccEl-n't bring herself to deny the re-
..>,rts.
Between the second and third issues
of the Clarion the editor had a caller.
His ostensible occupation was selling
Bohemian oats to farmers at So
bushel and sailing mighty close to
prison as a swindler, but he had the
hair and face and eyes of poet Even
the fat and healthy editor had to adj
nit that. The caller wanted to insert
small adj and ask about the Widow
Bidwell. He had seen the notices IN
the Clarion about her legacy, and he
wanted few pointers
Editor Flint praised the woman who
had Jumped on his bleeding heart.
Aye, he spoke In highest terms Of her,
and even told Mr.. Harold De Isle how
be could get an introduction to her.
Then the third issue said:
I'VE had a pleasant call the other
day from Mr.. Harold De Isle, who
has just made a million dollars out of
Pennsylvania oil. We understand that
he may remain In our village for some
days Indeed. Dame Rumor Is con-